Guwahati:
The bodies of three men from Assam have been found in unmarked shallow graves in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills. The bodies were completely burned and unrecognizable. The men were identified by the rental car they were traveling in, which was found nearby. Police said a preliminary investigation showed the men were executed, their bodies set on fire to avoid identification and then buried.
The bodies were found in Rongmil area, 15 km from Rongjeng in East Garo Hills. Two of the men were found in one grave. The other, believed to be the driver of the vehicle, was in a different grave. Police stumbled upon the graves while searching for the men their families had reported missing.
Police sources said the men – Jamar Ali and Zahidul Islam and their driver Noor Ahmed of Assam's Goalpara's Dolguma – had left home on Monday evening. They were going to Meghalaya for work, they said. Around 6 a.m. Tuesday, they called their families.
The men had said they were having breakfast after entering East Garo Hills via the Damra-Dainadubi-Wageasi road to Rongmil. It was the last time they spoke. When they called later, the phones turned out to be turned off. The families became concerned after being unavailable for more than 24 hours and alerted authorities.
The police started the search from the breakfast spot and eventually found the Maruti Swift vehicle in which they were traveling. The car was found deep in a bamboo forest in the Rongmil area, completely burned out. The graves were found nearby. After a post-mortem at the spot, the bodies were handed over to the families for the last rites, police said.
The murder, which took place on the eve of the elections, has sent shockwaves through the region. However, police suspect that the men may have been murdered by rivals. Zahidul Islam, 25, was involved in car theft and Jamor Ali, 35, was involved in cattle rustling, police said. Zahidul Islam also has a non-bailable warrant against him.