SHILLONG/NONGPOH: Police are on the hunt for KSU activists for the series of arson cases in the city.
Police on Friday arrested a KSU member of Mawiong unit Allen Khyllait (29) for the arson case at Mawiong Rim targeting a vehicle. Another KSU member Shanborlang Lyngdoh (26), hailing from Mawlai Mawroh, was arrested on Friday for allegedly attacking and injuring an SOT personnel at Golf Links, Lailad on Thursday night.
In a statement released to the press on Friday, police said the SOT personnel on patrol duty intercepted five KSU members on Thursday at around 8:40pm who had come with an intention to commit arson.
A scuffle ensued when they tried to flee and in the mêlée one SOT personnel was injured by a deep cut and was shifted to Shillong civil hospital.
When others managed to flee, one of the KSU members, Samuel L. Nongpiur (23) of Mawlai Mawroh was apprehended from Ladshyiap, Golf Links, and a plastic jar containing two liters of petrol and 4 rubber tyres were recovered.
A case was registered at Sadar police station and probe is on to arrest the rest of the culprits, the statement added.
East Khasi Hills SP Davis Marak informed that police have registered 12 cases of arson in the district and 16 people have been arrested so far.
Police are interrogating the arrested KSU members to ascertain the details of more people who are involved in the cases of arson. “We have got some more names and we are searching for them,” he said.
On the reported case of hurling of a petrol bomb at GM Hardware belonging to Mahesh Chachan at Mawlonghat, police said that during spot inspection it was detected that the bottle hurled at the shop contained kerosene.
In another case of arson on Thursday morning, miscreants set on fire a JCB earth mover and a control panel of a construction company engaged for construction of the Umsning Bypass Road at Lum Nongrim, Dewlieh in Ri Bhoi.
Railway arson damage pegged at over Rs 1 crore
The Ri Bhoi district administration has ascertained that the damages in the recent attack on the railway construction site at Ronghuna in Ri Bhoi and the torching of the Sericulture office has cost the State exchequer around Rs 1.07 crore.
Construction work on the railway project has been halted following the attack on the railway site by KSU members last month.
Meanwhile, Ri Bhoi Deputy Commissioner C.P Gotmare on Friday said all the arson cases reported in the district in the last one month were being tried in the local court but they would shortly take a call on transferring the cases to the special court in Shillong.
