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

Four armed men were killed by police during a routine naka-checking operation in Meghalaya’s East Garo Hills on Sunday, as officers attempted to inspect a checkpoint, according to East Garo Hills superintendent of police Swapnil Pawar Vasantrao. The exchange of gunfire occurred around 4am when the men approached the checkpoint for a search.

The police subsequently came under fire and the four assailants were subsequently killed from their injuries. The identities of the deceased were yet to be confirmed, but police were already examining the possibility of their links to a recent businessman’s murder in a suspected abduction-for-ransom incident in the neighboring state of Assam.

The circumstances surrounding the encounter are being investigated, including the possibility that the group crossed from Assam, or had an established network operating across the border. Police are also compiling details about the sequence of events before the shooting and the criminal backgrounds of the men. The investigation into the firearms used and other evidence at the scene is also a critical aspect of the case.