Decomposed Body Found in Plastic Sack; Murder Suspected
Shillong, April 6: A decomposed body was recovered from the riverbank at Lapalang, with police suspecting it to be that of a woman reported missing from Lawjynriew, Nongthymmai, Shillong.
The incident came to light after a woman from Nongrah Lummarboh, Block-3, noticed a plastic sack lying along the Lapalang riverbank and immediately informed members of the local women’s group on Monday.
Members of the women’s group visited the spot to verify the information and subsequently informed the Local Dorbar authorities, who then alerted the police from Rynjah Police Station.
A local resident told reporters that the woman had first spotted the plastic sack floating in the river around 11:00 AM.
“When the police arrived and opened the plastic, they found a human body inside,” he said, adding that the sack appeared to have been there for over a week.
Eyewitnesses present during the recovery said the body was in a highly decomposed state, emitting a foul smell, indicating it had been in the water for several days.
The body was later shifted to NEIGRIHMS Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Superintendent of Police, East Khasi Hills, Vivek Syiem, confirmed that the case is being treated as a suspected murder.
“We received information from the Locality about a plastic sack which look like a body inside. This appears to be a case of homicide (murder). We will conduct a thorough investigation and have also identified a suspect,” he said.
Police suspect the body could be that of Elina Phawa (39) from Lawjynriew, her native village from West Jaintia Hills, who has been missing since March 20, 2026.
Family members have already reached Nongrah after learning about the incident. Identification will be confirmed after the post-mortem before handing over the body to the family.
The SP further stated that preliminary assessment suggests the body may have been in the river for around 20 days, though confirmation will be made after the post-mortem.
