According to sources, injury marks on the body of Abonmai, including his legs and face, suggest that he was brutally tortured before the murder. The white Maruti Gypsy used in commission of crime belongs to one Rayilung Nsarangbe, son of Deuhing Nsarangbe of Dhobinala, Nagaland
TFM News Service
Advisor and former president of Zeliangrong Baudi (AMN) Athuan Abonmai was bludgeoned to death by using a sledge hammer, sources claimed on Friday. There are tell-tale signs to substantiate it and the sledge hammer used in the commission of crime has been recovered and is in police custody, they added.
After Athuan Abonmai was kidnapped in broad daylight in front of security personnel, he was bundled and whisked away in a white Maruti Gypsy from the Tamenglong Apollo ground premises.
Sources said that he was taken Lamlaba Phalong village road in the vehicle. But on getting information that Abonmai has been abducted, villagers of Machenlung blocked the road and tried to prevent vehicle from passing. The road leads to Tamei and Machenlung which is Abonmai’s village. The kidnappers, which are suspected to be NSCN (I-M) cadres, could not proceed further and turned the vehicle around and drove away. They drove in along an unknown path. Later, they stopped near an unused stone crusher quarry.
The sources maintained that injury marks on the body of Abonmai, including his legs and face, suggest that he was brutally tortured before the murder and there are tell-tale signs that he was bludgeoned to death by using a sledge hammer.
A reliable source maintained that there is a stretch injury marks on his throat. The back of his head was also caved in which possibly might have led to his death. The item used is a 5-kilogram sledge hammer and believed to have been the murder weapon. A plastic rope was recovered from the spot, which might have been used to strangulate him while the hammer may have been used to strike the death blow from behind. The hammer and plastic rope are said to be in the police custody, it added.
However, actual cause of death will be known only after the autopsy which is pending as joint action committee has objected to conducting autopsy, it said.
After the vicious murder was perpetrated, the murderers are believed to have fled the area on foot. The white Maruti gypsy bearing Nagaland registration number NL-07C 5873 used in commission of crime was found by the irate Machenlung villagers and later set it on fire. The Gypsy belongs to one Rayilung Nsarangbe, son of Deuhing Nsarangbe of Dhobinala, Nagaland.
The area where the murder took place and the surrounding areas are presently combed by a combined security forces led by IG Jayanta at the time of drafting this report but there is no information of any arrest or skirmish happening in during the search operations. It is believed that the Gypsy and the attackers of Abonmai were headed to Buning area of Tamenglong.