JOWAI/SHILLONG, Sep 11: In a gruesome display of vigilante justice four undertrial prisoners (UTPs), who were on the run, were lynched at Shangpung Thadmuthlong in West Jaintia Hills District at around 3 pm on Sunday.
The four UTPs included I Love You Talang, Lodestar Tang, Shidorki Dkhar and Rikmenlang Lamare. A fifth UTP identified as Ramesh Dkhar managed to flee the violent mob.
The five had escaped from the Jowai district jail on Saturday along with Marsanki Tariang, who was serving a jail term after having being convicted under the POCSO Act.
I Love You and Ramesh were facing trial for allegedly murdering taxi drivers Damehipaia Papeng and Fullmoon Kharsahnoh in August.
The bodies of the four victims were shifted to Ialong Civil Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Marsanki had parted ways with the other five soon after escaping from jail.
A source informed that the four UTPs were first spotted by the local when Ramesh had gone to purchase foods from a local shop located along the boundary of Thadmuthlong and Shangpung villages.
A large number of people from Shangpung, Thadmuthlong and adjoining areas gathered at the sport after learning about the presence of the five UTPs.
“When they spotted the mob approaching them, the five UTPs who were eating tried to escape into the nearby forest,” the source said, adding that the mob managed to nab four of them while Ramesh escaped.
At the time of filing of this report, police were clueless on the whereabouts of Ramesh Dkhar and Marsanki Tariang.
The mob, armed with sticks and rods, brutally assaulted the four. Gruesome photos and visuals of the mob fury and the assault of the four helpless UTPs were widely shared by the public.
Police personnel from Phramer Traffic Cell rushed to contain the mob but were vastly outnumbered, the source said. When police arrived at the spot, I Love You was seen lying on the ground with blood oozing out of his head.
Jowai Police said despite facing manpower shortage, they had spent the entire night on Saturday hunting for the escaped prisoners.
“We have our 3rd Battalion in West Jaintia Hills but during emergency, none of them help us as they are outside the district. In Jowai police station we don’t have battalion personnel and this leads to problems during emergencies,” a police officer said, refusing to be quoted.
“Not even a platoon is available in the district headquarter,” he added.
