SIT examining suspects in seven-year-old boy’s ‘murder’
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 13: The East Khasi Hills district police on Monday said the drowning of four-year-old girl Insaphira Lyngdoh Mawnai, initially believed accidental, has been confirmed to be a case of homicide.
The child’s body was recovered from an under-construction building near her residence at Nongrah Nonglum on September 15, a day after she was reported missing.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police (SP) Vivek Syiem told reporters the child was deliberately drowned by a 13-year-old boy. The accused is currently being held at a juvenile home.
“The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has confirmed that the drowning was homicidal in nature,” Syiem stated. “We are still trying to determine whether the act was committed following an argument over biscuits as claimed by the accused, or it was connected to an attempted sexual assault.”
The SP said there were several indicators suggesting the second possibility, but further investigation is needed to establish it conclusively. “The SIT will take some time to confirm whether there was any sexual intent,” he added.
Syiem clarified that the SIT ruled out the involvement of any others, stating there was only one person involved — the 13-year-old boy. He further mentioned that investigators have 90 days from the time of arrest to file the chargesheet.
Meanwhile, talking about the investigation into the murder of a seven-year-old boy, Kyrshanbor Kharmudai, whose body was recovered from Mawpat on October 9 a day after he went missing from Nongrah, Syiem said the SIT is still examining a wide range of suspects.
“As the investigation progresses, we will be able to narrow down the list. Determining the motive is crucial — whether it was for ransom, sexual assault, or any other reason,” he said. “So far, the inquest has not indicated sexual assault, but we are awaiting confirmation from the post-mortem report.”
The SP added that the body bore multiple injury marks, some of which appeared to be antemortem (before death) and others postmortem (after death). “When a body is exposed for a long time, postmortem injuries can occur due to natural elements,” he explained.
“We are awaiting the full post-mortem report to determine the nature of these injuries and to get a clearer understanding of how the child died,” Syiem added.
On the other hand, he dismissed claims that the recent deaths of two minors from Nongrah could be the work of “menshohnoh”, a mythical figure in Khasi folklore believed to extract human blood.
Syiem said most cases attributed to menshohnoh are misunderstandings or rooted in personal enmity and jealousy rather than supernatural causes.
He acknowledged that while the fear of menshohnoh exists in local folklore, investigations usually reveal more ordinary motives, such as ransom or disputes.
“In my entire service career, I have never encountered a case where someone was harmed because of a menshohnoh,” the SP said.
He added that numerous suspected menshohnoh cases reported in villages, upon investigation, were found to have different underlying reasons unrelated to the mythical figure.
