SHILLONG, July 27: A 38-year-old man was brutally stabbed to death while two others sustained injuries after six unidentified assailants allegedly abducted the trio in a taxi before taking them to a forested area at Mawkasiang, where the attack took place late on Sunday night.
The deceased has been identified as Shanbor Ranee (38), a resident of Umkdait, Nongmensong. His body was found early on Monday by the roadside near Larity at Mawkasiang with multiple deep cut injuries.
According to police, six masked men allegedly forced the three occupants into a taxi bearing registration number ML-05-AH-3636 before driving them towards Mawkasiang.
The deceased was allegedly attacked with a machete and suffered around 10 to 12 deep cut injuries to his neck, back, and other parts of his body. One of the victims sustained grievous injuries and is undergoing treatment at NEIGRIHMS, while the third managed to escape by jumping out of the moving vehicle.
He was later rescued by personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF), who shifted him to NEIGRIHMS for medical treatment. It was after regaining consciousness that he informed the police about the alleged abduction and attack.
Earlier on Monday morning, passersby alerted the police after spotting a blood-soaked body lying by the roadside. The victim had been repeatedly hacked with a sharp weapon, leaving his face badly mutilated and initially making identification difficult.
Speaking to reporters, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said police first received information at around 10:30 pm on Sunday about an injured person found near the gate of a BSF battalion. BSF personnel shifted him to NEIGRIHMS, where he is undergoing treatment.
Later, police received information about another injured person from Mawtawar, who was also admitted to the hospital.
On Monday morning, police were informed about a body with multiple stab injuries found at Mawkasiang. The body was shifted to NEIGRIHMS for a post-mortem examination.
“It appears that these three people were together. The deceased has been identified as Shanbor Ranee,” Syiem said.
The SP said that the deceased had earlier been involved in several criminal cases, including offenses under the NDPS Act and a murder case.
Police suspect that the three were first picked up from Pynthor before being forcibly taken to a forested area at Mawkasiang, where the attack took place. While two of the victims managed to escape from their abductors, the deceased was brutally killed.
Syiem said the motive behind the murder is yet to be established.
“As of now, we cannot say what this is about. Whether it has anything to do with the drug trade or whether it is a vendetta killing will only be known after the investigation,” he said.
He also stated that investigators would ascertain whether the murder was linked to personal enmity or a drug racket, noting that the deceased was allegedly involved in drug peddling.
The SP said police also need to establish the exact number of persons involved in the crime, although it is clear that more than one assailant participated in the abduction and assault.
Refusing to disclose the identities of the two injured persons for security reasons, Syiem said a case has been registered and an intensive investigation is underway.
He also clarified that the vehicle identified in connection with the incident belonged to the deceased. No arrests had been made up to the filing of this report.
