A person who claimed to be the victim of an extortion bid by the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has pointed an accusatory finger at a man who had previously claimed that his name was being misused by the real extortionists.
After previously being accused of sending extortion demands Synshar Khymdeit had addressed the press in person in 2023 to try and clear his name. However, two years on, another complainant has accused him of being an HNLC collector.
In a letter to the Shillong Press Club (SPC), the victim, whose identity is being kept hidden, said that Khymdeit “is the same one who came forward last time at the Shillong Press Club to deny his involvement.” The letter to the SPC was dated April 17, 2025 but received only recently.
Back in 2023 Khymdeit was accused, among other things, of trying to extort Rs 20 lakh from a woman in Mawlai. Prior to this, his name was also reported to have appeared in a demand note as HNLC area collector in East Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi.
The latest victim, who is a businessman, said he first received a demand note sent by two area collectors of the HNLC – one of whom is Khymdeit – on January 28, 2022 demanding him to pay Rs 4.4 lakh as “tax money”.
He quoted the demand note which states: “Dear tax payer,….. you are hereby informed that the last date for payment of the annual income tax to the HNLC is on 03.03.2022. As new establishments, you are required to pay a tax amount of 4.4 lakh rupees only…. you are advised to keep the money ready by the mentioned date in order to avoid any unpleasant scene…. you are also reminded that if you do not cooperate, we will have no choice but to take other steps to acquire the amount….If you inform the police about this letter, we will plant a bomb right at your doorstep;you will lose your family and everyone you love…..trust us, we don’t joke…..By the end of this month, we will bomb police bazaar to remind people like you that you don’t belong here….so, pay up or die.”
The victim also confessed to having complied with the demand out of fear.
“Initially, I thought it was a joke, but when an IED bomb was really triggered in Police Bazar on January 30 that year, I had no choice but to give in to their (the HNLC) demands fearing they might do the same to my shop. I got the money ready and on March 3, 2022, one person by the name of Synshar Khymdeit came and collected the money on behalf of the HNLC,” he said.
“Exactly a year later, on March 3, 2023, this same person came back to my shop asking me for more money saying that if I don’t pay up, “the HNLC will exterminate my entire family”. He also said that several other bomb blasts will take place in the city such as Them Metor (Them Iewmawlong), Iewduh and Mawbah in 2024, 2026 and 2028 respectively. Fearing that statements made by these people might be true, I have now decided to inform you about this entire situation,” the victim further stated.
The victim also said that the pressure of extortion and the threats from the HNLC have led him to shift his business to a new location and with a change of name.
“We have also shifted our home to my in-laws place….I, however, am residing at a different address for the time being till I find a safe place for my entire family,” he stated.
