NONGSTOIN: The decomposed body of a woman was found near the Umpniang river in West Khasi Hills on Sunday.
The body, which is yet to be identified, was spotted by a villager of Sieljieh when he was washing clothes in the river at Pyndengrei village early on Sunday morning. He saw the decomposed body covered in sand.
Police suspect that the body was buried in the sand nearly a month ago.
Though the face and most part of the body have decomposed beyond recognition, police said the deceased person could be between 18 and 20 years of age. She was four-and-a-half feet and was wearing black trousers and a white top with black stripes.
Police said it was difficult to identify the body as till date there is no complaint about a missing person.
Police found a friendship band on her wrist with ‘Nisha BN’ written on it. They suspect that the woman was raped and murdered but the “actual cause of death will be known only after we receive the postmortem report”, a police source said.
The body has been sent to Nongstoin civil hospital for postmortem.
M. Marwein, headman of Pyndengrei, confirmed that the deceased person was not from the area. But he added that he would ask villagers about anyone renting house at Pyndengrei.
The State has seen a spate of rape cases in the last few months. Earlier in March, the body of a woman from Lower Mawprem was found at Itshyrwat near NEIGRIHMS. Before that, another body of a woman was found along NH-44 at Dkhiah East village in East Jaintia Hills in February. In the same month, the body of a 40-year-old missing woman was found in an abandoned coal mine in East Jaintia Hills.
