Main accused in lynching of two youths in Assam's Karbi Anglong district arrested

Guwahati: Police in Assam on Wednesday arrested the main accused in connection with the lynching of two Guwahati-based youths in Karbi Anglong district who were mistaken to be child abductors.

A police spokesman said Alphajoz Timung was arrested in a village near the area of Panijuri Kachari where Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath were killed by a mob on the night of 8 June. “We have arrested Alphajoz. He had been hiding there since the night of the murders,” an officer said.

The police had been looking for Alphajoz since 9 June after some locals stated that he had spread a rumour that the victims had abducted a girl who was in their vehicle.

“On Friday (8 June) evening, Alphajoz sent a message to some of the locals that the two youth had abducted a girl and asked them to intercept the vehicle they were travelling in,” the officer said. “The message from Alphajoz infuriated the mob and they not only intercepted the vehicle but also beat the two to death even after discovering that there was no one else in their SUV.”

So far, 28 persons have been arrested for their involvement in the lynching while 36 others were detained for spreading hate messages and circulating videos of the incident on social media.