Shillong: East Khasi Hills Police on Wednesday arrested a man allegedly involved in the murder of a seven-year-old boy from Nongrah after a six-month investigation.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested Kennedy Khongsit (32) in connection with the murder of the child, whose body was found by the roadside at Mawpat on the road leading to New Shillong.
According to the SP, the case was particularly difficult to crack as investigators initially could not establish any clear motive behind the killing of the seven-year-old, who was an orphan.
He said the SIT had been pursuing several leads for months before finally gathering enough evidence to establish the motive behind the crime.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the child was allegedly killed over a trivial issue after the accused reportedly became enraged when the boy refused to help wash a shirt.
The SP said the child was murdered by being suffocated and his body was then dumped in a water tank. Thereafter, the accused allegedly kept the body near his house before later transporting it on a scooty and dumping it at the spot in Mawpat where it was eventually recovered.
Syiem further described Khongsit as a violent and aggressive individual with a history of abusive behaviour.
He said several incidents involving the accused had previously gone unreported as matters were often settled privately. The SP also said that even the accused’s wife had reportedly left him because of his violent temperament.
It may be mentioned that the body of the seven-year-old, identified as Kyrshanbor Kharmudai, was recovered on October 9 from a roadside area at Mawpat. The child had been living with his aunt at Lum Myrboh, Nongrah.
