By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 1: The State Police have cracked the case pertaining to the murder of a seven-year-old boy from Nongrah by arresting a neighbour in a case that had lingered for six months even as investigators were simultaneously credited with cracking other high-profile crimes.
The breakthrough comes at a time when police had already drawn public attention for solving the Raja Raghuvanshi honeymoon murder case and an interstate ATM theft case, developments that had intensified pressure to resolve the Nongrah case that remained pending closer to home.
The East Khasi Hills Police, through a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Superintendent of Police City arrested Kennedy Khongsit (32), a resident of Lum Marboh, Nongrah, on Wednesday.
The case dates back to October 8, 2025, when a missing report was filed at Rynjah Police Station around 8:20 PM for the young boy, an orphan, who had been untraceable since 4:00 PM that afternoon. An immediate search operation involving police and the Nongrah Dorbar Shnong was carried out, but yielded no results.
The following morning, police received information about a body found by the roadside at Mawtngen, Mawpat. A forensic inspection was conducted, and the body was later identified by family members as that of the missing child.
A post-mortem examination at NEIGRIHMS confirmed that the cause of death was asphyxia due to smothering, leading to the formation of the SIT.
Syiem admitted that Investigators faced a particularly difficult task, with no immediate evidence of sexual assault or financial motive. The absence of clear leads meant the SIT had to rely on sustained questioning and careful evidence-building over several months.
He said the investigation eventually pointed to Khongsit and during interrogation, he confessed to committing the crime between 2:30 PM and 3:00 PM on the day of the incident at his residence.
According to Syiem, the accused had been cleaning a water tank and asked the boy to bring him a brush and a bucket. When the child, reportedly watching television, did not comply, Khongsit became enraged and smothered him by covering his mouth and nose.
He then attempted to conceal the crime by first hiding the body inside a water tank before placing it in a gunny bag. The body was later transported using a scooty belonging to a relative at around 4:40 PM and dumped at Mawpat.
Khongsit will be produced in court on Thursday, with police likely to seek maximum custody for further interrogation.
Syiem maintained that the absence of a clear motive made the case particularly complex, but the persistence of the SIT ensured that crucial evidence was eventually established.
