4 armed men killed in Meghalaya encounter, link to businessman’s murder probed

Four armed men died in an exchange of fire with police during a naka-checking operation at Songsak in Meghalaya’s East Garo Hills early Sunday, with investigators probing their possible links to a recent businessman’s murder in a suspected abduction-for-ransom attempt across the interstate border, police said.

Officials are now working to piece together the circumstances leading to the encounter. (Representational/HT Photo)The encounter took place around 4am, when police conducting the naka allegedly came under fire from the four men as they approached the checkpoint for inspection, East Garo Hills superintendent of police Swapnil Pawar Vasantrao said.

“Four armed men fired upon police personnel. In the ensuing exchange of fire, the four sustained injuries and succumbed to their injuries,” the SP said. The identities of the deceased were yet to be formally confirmed as police began the process of establishing their identities and verifying their backgrounds.

Vasantrao said the four could have criminal antecedents and that investigators were examining their possible involvement in crimes reported in the region. The encounter also assumes significance because of a possible inter-state link to the recent Damra incident, in which a businessman was murdered during an alleged extortion and abduction-for-ransom attempt.

Police, however, have not yet conclusively established that the four men killed at Songsak were involved in that case. “The deceased are being identified. Further details will be shared after due verification and confirmation,” the SP said.

Officials are now working to piece together the circumstances leading to the encounter, including the sequence of events before the exchange of fire and the identities and criminal histories of the four men. The police are also examining whether the group crossed into Meghalaya from Assam or had any established network operating across the state border.

The incident comes days after the August 25 Damra episode, which police suspect involved an organised attempt to abduct a businessman for ransom that ended in his killing. Investigators are now looking at whether the deceased men had any direct or indirect connection with that case.

For now, police have maintained that the encounter investigation and identification process are continuing, with officials expected to release more details once the identities of the deceased and their antecedents are verified.

The recovery of the firearms allegedly used by the four men and other evidence from the encounter site is also expected to form a crucial part of the investigation.