Nongrah toddler’s death was due to ‘homicidal drowning’, finds SIT
Post-mortem report of 7-year-old boy yet to come; police not sure about motive in the second Nongrah murder case
Shillong, Oct 13: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was probing the death of the toddler in Nongrah has found that she died of “homicidal drowning”.
“SIT has established that the accident drowning was homicidal,” East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem told reporters on Monday.
On September 18, a 13-year-old boy, who was a neighbour and frequent visitor of the victim’s family, was apprehended and is currently in a juvenile home after he admitted to taking the girl to a nearby construction site. The girl’s body was later found at that site on September 15.
The SP has ruled out the possibility of any other individuals being involved in the crime.
Stating that the motive behind the act is still being investigated, Syiem said it’s unclear whether the act was a result of an argument over a biscuit or an attempted sexual assault.
“There are many indications of the latter (sexual assault attempt). The SIT will take some time to establish whether there was any sexual attempt, but one thing is certain — the drowning was homicidal in nature,” he added.
PM report awaited in 7-year-old’s murder
About another case, Syiem said the post-mortem report was awaited to determine the nature of injuries found on the body of seven-year-old Kyrshanbor Kharmudai.
The body of Kyrshanbor, who had gone missing from his residence in Nongrah on October 8, was recovered from Mawpat on October 9.
Syiem said the injuries could be ante-mortem or post-mortem.
The motive behind the murder is unclear. “It could either be ransom, which has not come about, or sexual assault. The inquest has not indicated any sexual assault… will confirm from the post mortem,” Syiem said, adding, “It is very important to first establish what is the motive for killing the seven-year-old child.”
Black magic?
Regarding speculation about menshohnoh or witchcraft theory surrounding the murder, the SP said that in most cases, such allegations are rooted in enmity, jealousy, ransom or vendetta, rather than supernatural beliefs.
“I have never come across a case… that a person being drained out of blood because he is a menshohnoh… We have investigated many cases of menshohnoh allegations, and the root cause is usually different altogether,” he added.
