Mystery behind sensatiol Pengeree murder unfolds
From our Correspondent
TINSUKIA, May 17: The Tinsukia police had been widely criticized for their failure to unearth the motive behind the gruesome murder of Chuni Garh and his daughter-in-law Lokhimoni Garh of village no 2 linigaon under Pengeree PS in Tinsukia district on April 6. The incident that followed later had rocked Pengeree on April 11 marred by mob violence that left 11 people dead and 19 injured with two front wing student organizations-ATTSA and AASAA spearheading agitation seeking fulfillment of their various demands. Setting all speculations to rest, the mystery that shrouds the killing of Chuni Garh and Lokhimoni Garh has come to light now.
A highly-placed police source said, Debaru Garh, son of ChuniGarh and husband of Lokhimoni, Pabitra Moran, Gondhi Moran, Ramesh Moran and brothers Deben Phukan and Kosheswer Phukan are all crimils operating in a group in greater Pangeree area for the past two years. While Debaru Garh was critically injured, his father and wife were allegedly murdered by the group on April 6. The score was to settle a monetary deal involving accidental recovery of a sophisticated gun by the gang that belonged to Mekuri alias Rongmon Moran, a self-styled ULFA sergeant who was killed in an alleged encounter on April 27. Out of five members, Deben and Kosheswar were arrested on April 7 and rest three surrendered before Tinsukia police on April 9. Barring Deben, others had confessed to having committed the crime and are languishing in jail.
According to a source, Mekuri while fleeing an encounter site inside a sugarcane field, left behind a sophisticated weapon couple of months back which the gang found and decided to sell at a high price. Debaru took possession of the gun and hid it underground in the vicinity of the sugarcane field. Meanwhile Mekuri came to know about the recovery of the gun and established contact with the gang. Though Debaru and his family initially denied having any knowledge of the gun, Mekuri through a third party settled a deal. Despite several searches the gun could not be traced as the area by then got covered by fresh bush. Mekuri and his team too frequented the area several times in search of gun but in vain. The gang, so also Mekuri, thought that Debaru had already sold it off. In an act of betrayal and vengeance and maybe at the insistence of slain Mekuri, the gang allegedly committed the murder even as effort is still on to trace the gun, said the source.
