Highly decomposed bodies of nine persons, who were blindfolded with hands tied and shot from close range, have been found in a gorge in Nagaland's Dimapur district adjacent to Assam, the police said today.
Police discovered the bodies stacked atop each other near Chumukedima last night, Dimapur SP V Z Angami said.
While one of the bodies was identified to be of a missing Karbi student leader from Bokajan in Assam, the other eight bodies were yet to be identified.
Bokajan is a town in the trouble torn Karbi Anglong district in Assam and close to the inter-state border.
The bodies were found blindfolded with hands tied behind and shot from close range on the heads, Angami said, adding that the corpses were covered with a polythene sheet over which some boulders were placed.
It was suspected the nine might have been killed over a week ago as the bodies were decomposed beyond recognition.
Some labourers who were passing the spot got a foul smell emanating there and noticed human feet in the pile, following which they informed the police.
Angami did not rule out the possibility of the crime being committed in some other place and the bodies then dumped in the area.
SDPO of Dimapur, Relo said one body was identified as that of Harlongbi Ingti, secretary of Karbi Students Association, Bokajan branch.
Ingti's brother, who came to Dimapur on learning about the discovery of the corpses, identified his body.
Relo said Ingti's family members lodged a missing report in Bokajan police station on January 1. He had not returned home since December 28.
