Missing intelligence official's body found in Meghalaya

The mutilated body of a young Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Vikash Singh, who went missing more than a month ago, was on Saturday found buried along with the body of a trader in a jungle in the remote Garo hills bordering Bangladesh.

A Meghalaya Police statement on Sunday said Singh and trader Kamal Saha were kidnapped on September 24.

Human rights groups in Meghalaya demanded a probe into the incident alleging that Singh was abducted and killed on the “instruction” of some corrupt IB officials who were hand in gloves with mafia.

According to Meghalaya police sources, the bodies were recovered from Bolchugre village, about 18 km from Baghmara near Panda in South Garo Hills district.

Singh is a resident of Bihar and was posted at Rongara in Garo hills and cloth merchant Kamal Saha were abducted at gunpoint by suspected militants between Ampangre and Panda reserve forest.

The victims were travelling in a public vehicle towards Baghmara, the district headquarters of South Garo Hills, from Rongara.
Police sources said the militants segregated the passengers of the vehicle before kidnapping the officer and the merchant.

Since September 25, a massive search operation was afoot in South Garo Hills district and its adjoining districts to trace them. The bodies were recovered after a month-long rigorous search, police sources added.

“The two bodies were buried in sitting position in a hole about 2 km north of Bolchugre village. After exhumation, they were brought to Baghmara for autopsy,” the police statement added.

Various militant groups in Garo Hills have already distanced themselves from the abduction.

Meanwhile, the Civil Society Women's Organisation (CSWO), on Sunday demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

"We demand an NIA probe into the incident as this incident can scare many officials and personnel protecting the people and the state. The NIA has to find out if the phone of this officer was tapped. The big bosses, who are involved in shady deals ranging from corruption to coal mining to allowing extortion, have the knowhow to tap the calls of all those who oppose them,”  CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing said in a press release.

A highly placed source in Meghalaya Police revealed that Singh and Saha were kidnapped and killed by A'chik Songna An'pachakgipa Kotok (ASAK) militants.

The bodies were recovered on Saturday following the arrest of ASAK militant Sengnal D Shira, whose brother Sengbat D Shira is the prime accused in the kidnapping and killing of Singh and Saha, from Tura, the district headquarters of West Garo Hills on October 22.

During the interrogation, Sengnal revealed that the kidnapped IB officer and cloth merchant were killed.

According to IB sources, Singh was a young officer who was tasked to maintain ground intelligence on different militant groups who are using the Garo hills corridor to sneak into Bangladesh and he was very successful in getting information.