The Nagaland government has constituted a Special Investigation Team to investigate the case of killing of nine persons, whose decomposed bodies with bullet marks in the head, were recovered at Pachaspura village in Chumukedima, about 25 km off Dimapur, on Friday. Blindfolded and hands tied, the piled up bodies were found by road construction workers.
One of the victims has been identified as a youth from Assam’s Karbi Anglong.
On the directive of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, a high-power committee has also been constituted to identify the culprits.
The Assam police suspect that the killings could be traced to the recent clashes between two militant outfits — the Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers and the Rengma Naga Hills Protection Force in Karbi Anglong.
The clashes claimed the lives of seven persons — one Karbi and six Rengma Naga civilians including five women.
Superintendent of Police Mugdhajyoti Mahanta told The Hindu that one of the bodies found on Friday was identified as that of Harlangbi Ingti of Rongkimi village in central Karbi Anglong district. His family, which lodged a missing person report with the Bokajan police station on January 1, said the Karbi youth had gone to Dimapur for buying garments on December 28 and had not returned home.
Mr. Mahanta said another missing person report had been filed by some families on Saturday. This related to four Karbi construction workers of Bokajan going missing since December 30.