NONGSTOIN, Aug 26: Police have finally made a breakthrough into a case of murder of a woman and her maid in Nongstoin, West Khasi Hills. One Banphrang Kupar Nongbri (24) of Nongstoin village has been arrested by a team of West Khasi Hills Police for allegedly killing 79-year-old Phlesis Syiem and the 25-year-old maid, Maitlynti Lyngdoh Marshillong, of Tiehsaw, on August 23.
During a press conference, West Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police HG Lyngdoh said the accused confessed to murdering the two women.
Nongbri, who lives in Shillong, said he arrived at Nongstoin on Monday night and reached the house of Phlesis at 10:30 pm. According to the SP, the main intention of the accused was to rob the house as he needed cash to pay his debts.
He was welcomed by the house owner as she knew him well. He was served tea and betel nut, and during all of this, the maid was asleep in another room.
Later that night, while Phlesis was fetching some medicine, the accused cut off the power supply of the house and walloped her on the head with a wooden stick. Immediately after the victim fell on the floor following the attack, he stabbed her with a dagger.
The accused took the key of her almirah and took out the cash from the safe.
It was after this the accused knocked on the door of the maid’s room and told her that Phlesis fell on ground.
When the maid went to look for Phlesis, she found her on the kitchen floor with stab wounds, still breathing.
Suspecting that Nongbri killed Phlesis, the maid confronted the man and threatened to complain about the matter to the police. However, but before she could even make a move, the accused struck her with a rod and stabbed with the same dagger.
While he was working on the main circuit to fix the power supply in the house, he heard the yelps of the women and stabbed them again several times.
On 5 am of the next morning, Nongbri called his friends who he owed money to, and cleared all his debts with the stolen money, then making a move for Shillong.
However, he was arrested from a vehicle at Mairang while he was again on the way to Nongstoin.
Following this confession, the Special) Investigation Team of the police searched the Shillong residence of Nongbri and recovered the blood-stained shoes and the jacket which he wore on the night of crime.
According to the police, the accused also had a fresh wound which he got during the tussle on Monday night.
Police have also seized evidence from his residence which have been sent to Forensic Sciences Laboratory for confirmation.
Two mobile phones belonging to the victims were also recovered from a culvert near Nongbri’s residence in Shillong.
Moreover, police recovered Rs 65,500 from his possession, claimed to be the money stolen from the house of Phlesis.
“We are doing our best to speed up the investigation and charge-sheet him so that the justice will be served in no time” the SP said.
