Shillong, Jul 28: The dead body of a private water supplier was found face down in a shallow pool in Law Raid, Mawpat, on Monday morning.
An autopsy has been conducted but the results are still awaited and it is too early to ascertain whether foul play was involved.
The man was identified as Charles Sohtun, aka Bah Hep, of Langkyrding. He was 57 years old and a familiar presence in the area as he would supply water to homes via his water tanker. Sohtun is survived by a wife and five children.
His body was discovered at around 9am by people who were taking their dog for a bath in the pond. Sohtun’s body was lying face down in the water. The pond is so shallow that, if he had been unencumbered, he could have saved himself by simply standing up.
The deceased’s slippers and jacket were found near the pond and there were bloodstains on his body. Witnesses said that the victim had injury marks on his head, behind his ears as well as on his hands and feet.
Police from the Forensic Crime Scene Unit were able to complete their work at around 2pm before the body was taken to NEIGRIHMS for an autopsy.
Family members said that Sohtun had left home on Sunday afternoon between 2:30pm and 3pm on the pretext of collecting money owed to him for supplying water. He was last seen walking in the village at around 5pm.
Sohtun was known to often sleep in his vehicle at night and his family believed this to be the case on Sunday when he did not return home. However, when he still did not come back on Monday morning, they tried to reach him on his mobile phone only to find that he had left it at home.
His children fear something may be amiss as the place where the body was found is quite some distance from where Sohtun would normally park his tanker or his personal vehicle.
