SHILLONG, Sep 5: Shillong Police on Friday arrested an impersonator along with a dozen of his “henchmen” and seized magazine pouches, air guns and air pistols from three high-end vehicles from outside the Main Secretariat, thus averting a possible security breach.
At around 2.30 pm on Friday, police found three vehicles parked opposite the Main Secretariat with tinted glasses. One of the vehicles was without a registration number.
During checking, police found 12 men all dressed in black inside the vehicles. Suspecting something unusual, the SOT was immediately rushed to the spot and on checking of the vehicles, they found six magazine pouches, five walkie-talkie sets, five air guns and two air pistols.
East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said, “Today at about 2.30 pm one Audi A4 (Red colour) without registration number, one Scorpio (ML05 AF 0309) and Toyota Innova (black colour) (T0922 ML7411A) were seen parked outside Shoppers Stop, IGP. All vehicles had tinted glass where one of them was fitted with a siren and all of these vehicles were owned by Mebanshem Snaitang, a resident of Pohkseh Shillong. In the vehicles 12 men dressed in black fatigues appearing to be bodyguards of Snaitang were present.”
They were taken to Sadar Police Station for formalities and the items were seized.
Police will register a case against all 13 of them for impersonating as law enforcing agencies and also under the Arms Act.
“The motive will be established after the matter is investigated,” Syiem said while adding that apparently it appears that Snaitang was carrying 12 people probably with a motive to intimidate and to show that he is in a position of power and he could intimidate or influence his way through.
Making it clear that people cannot carry air pistols publicly, the SP said that these air guns are not the conventional air guns and these need to be sent to the Forensic Laboratory for verification of their caliber.
Snaitang admitted that the vehicles belonged to him, while adding that he was a social worker and also the leader of a group.
He questioned if the Government of Meghalaya had any rules debarring anyone from engaging private security or carrying air guns. “We have not disturbed the public or anyone,” he claimed.
