The bodies of three of the four persons found brutally murdered at Umpleng in East Jaiñtia Hills yesterday have been handed over to their family members.
The four bodies with hands and feet tied and cut marks in the neck were found in a forest on the outskirts of Umpleng.
Earlier, police identified two of the bodies as that of Nazar Kyndait (33) of Dkhiah East of East Jaiñtia Hills and Ravi Rai (23) of Elam village, Mechipradesh, Nepal.
The third body was identified as that of Rajesh Rai (26) of Dharan Sunsari village, Koshi Anchal, Nepal.
“The three bodies that have been identified have been handed over to their relatives after post-mortem examination for their last rites respectively,” police said today.
Police are trying to identify the fourth body which is currently kept at the morgue of Khliehriat Civil Hospital.
Due to the seriousness of the case, a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to try to identify the persons involved in the gruesome murder.
A criminal case has been registered at Khliehriat police station. Till date, no arrest has been made in connection with the crime.
Police are analysing whether the crime was committed on the spot or it was committed somewhere else and then the bodies dumped at Umpleng.
Meanwhile, South Shillong MLA Sanbor Shullai has expressed deep distress about the horror quadruple murder at Umpleng village, East Jaintia Hills, which, he said, only indicates that the law and order situation is now a serious cause for concern.
Shullai, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party that is a member of the governing coalition, urged the state government not to succumb under any pressure but to go after the guilty.
There is a strong suspicion that the murder in East Jaintia Hills has something to do with illegal activities, like drugs, human trafficking, illegal mining, etc.
“No one is above the law, no one has the right to take the law into their own hands,” Shullai said in a release. “There is no reason on earth that can justify the killing of another human being.”
The MLA requested all stakeholders to desist from violence and to hand over any criminal matter to the police. In a world where social media rules, rumours and fake propagandas can spread with a few clicks, increasing the chances of tensions within society and such incidents and accompanying negative news are not in the interest of the public, he added.