3 Men From Assam Killed in Meghalaya, Bodies Burned and Buried in Unmarked Graves

The bodies were discovered in a grave in Rongmil area, 15 km from Rongjeng in East Garo Hills. Two of the men were found in a single grave, and the other, believed to be the driver of the vehicle, was in another grave. The bodies were completely burnt and beyond recognition, and the men were identified by the hired car they were traveling in, which was found nearby. The police indicated that a preliminary inquiry suggested the men were executed, their bodies set on fire to evade identification, and then buried.

The police stumbled upon the graves while searching for the missing men, whom their families had reported missing. The men—Jamar Ali, Zahidul Islam, and their driver Noor Ahmed from Assam’s Goalpara’s Dolguma—had left home on Monday evening and were heading to Meghalaya for work, as per police sources. The men had called their families around 6 am on Tuesday, saying they were having breakfast after entering East Garo Hills. Their phones were found to be switched off when they were called later, causing their families to worry and alert the authorities.

The police began the search from the breakfast spot and eventually found the Maruti Swift vehicle they were traveling in, deep inside a nearby bamboo forest in Rongmil area, completely burnt. The graves were found nearby. Following an on-the-spot postmortem, the bodies were handed to the families for last rites, the police reported. The murder, occurring just before polling, has shocked the region, and the police suspect that the men may have been killed by rivals.

Zahidul Islam was involved in car lifting, and Jamar Ali was involved in cattle rustling, according to the police. Zahidul Islam also had a non-bailable warrant against him.