Shillong, Oct 16: In a second such case this week, a man was rescued by police with help from village leaders after being suspected of being a ‘menshohnoh’, someone believed to sacrifice humans to the mythical thlen for economic prosperity.
At around 8am today, information was received by police from the headman of Lawmei, a village in the Diengiei area, that a mob wanted to lynch a man, identified as Nicolas Lyngkhoi (39), on suspicion of being a menshohnoh.
Personnel from Lumdiengjri Police Station and Special Operation Team (SOT) rushed to Lawmei. Lyngkhoi was being sheltered in the village hall to keep him away from the mob.
According to Lyngkhoi, a resident of Ktiehthawiar under Mawshynrut block, he works as a woodcutter in Umiam. Yesterday, at around 9pm, he left Umiam to spend a night with his relative in Umthlong, in the Sohiong area. However, on reaching Lawmei, he decided to halt for the night due to the cold weather and took shelter in a local shed.
Today morning, at around 6 am, the shed owner saw Lyngkhoi and photographed him while calling neighbours.
Lyngkhoi was taken to Lumdiengjri Police Station and was later sent for medical examination at Shillong Civil Hospital where a medical report indicated that he sustained minor injuries.
Just three days ago, a mentally challenged man was rescued by police with support of village elders from Kynroh Nongbri. He had been found wandering the village aimlessly at night, prompting fears that he was a menshohnoh.
The entire state is on edge following a string of three child murders, which may be behind a heightened fear of black magic practitioners.
