SHILLONG: Two men were arrested on Sunday for playing a key role in fatally beating up an alleged rapist to death in Upper Shillong on Saturday.
Yaqub Khan Nongkynrih, who allegedly raped an 11-year-old girl, was assaulted by the victim’s father and brother, who were accompanied by locals, on Saturday after the news of the sexual harassment spread, police said.
Nongkynrih succumbed to his injuries in a local hospital on Saturday. The father and the brother were arrested.
The trouble started when the brother of the victim saw lewd photographs of the girl in Nongkynrih’s phone. The accused was a tenant of the victim’s family.
The brother then informed other members in the family who got together and locked up Nongkynrih in his room and informed the police around 7pm on Saturday with the help of the head of the locality.
When police arrived at 8pm, locals had already started beating up the accused, East Khasi Hills SP Davis Marak said.
“When the police team from Jhalupara reached the place, people were already beating him up. The police tried to rescue him from the public and in the process, two policemen received minor injuries,” he added.
A relative of the 11-year-old girl said she told the family that Nongkynrih would threaten her with a knife.
The SP said the girl’s mother lodged an FIR at 12.30pm on Sunday but “what action do we take against a dead man”.
Nongkynrih’s phone has been seized and the alleged rape case is being investigated.
