SHILLONG, APR 1: In a major breakthrough, the state police have arrested a 32-year-old neighbour, Kenedy Khongsit, for the murder of 7-year-old Kyrshanbor Kharmudai, whose body was found dumped in Mawpat jungle on October 9, 2025.
Speaking to media persons on Wednesday, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said, “After a period of six months, the SIT by piecing all available evidence together including that from CFSL forensic, we were able to zero down on the killer namely Kenedy Khongsit (32), a neighbour of the deceased.”
“We have arrested him today in the afternoon and he has admitted to the crime and he will be produced before court and police remand will be taken to complete the investigation process,” he added.
The accused has revealed that he killed the child in a fit of rage when the boy didn’t follow his instructions.
“The murder of the child happened at about 2.30 pm to 3pm and it happened in the house of the accused, which is adjacent to the house of the deceased child where the child had gone to watch TV, which was after lunch. During preliminary interrogation, the accused revealed that he had told the child to get a brush and a bucket while washing the Syntex tank but the deceased child kept watching TV. Out of anger…he forcefully smothered him and put him in the Syntex tank in a fit of rage,” the SP said, detailing the October 8, 2025 incident.
The body was later dumped in Mawpat jungle using the accused’s cousin’s white Yamaha R-Z scooty (ML 04 9622).
“He hid the body in the backyard. The killer quietly kept the body in plastic sacks and left Lum Myrboh at 4:40 pm, returning in under an hour,” the SP added.
The investigation, led by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by SP (City), East Khasi Hills, faced challenges initially as no evidence linked the accused to the crime. Exhibits were sent to CFSL Guwahati and FSL Shillong for scientific evidence, and multiple people were examined.
“During the investigation, many people were examined to throw light on the case but there was nothing which came forth. The investigation however identified few persons of interest but the only problem there was no breakthrough for want of evidence,” Syiem said adding “There was also another problem, the motive to kill the child could not be established at that juncture. Therefore, the case was very difficult to crack. The case was challenging as there was no sexual assault, ransom, or apparent motive.”
Asked, Syiem said, “There is a lot of scientific evidence… Putting all the evidence, we could zero down on the killer. On the day of the incident, it was raining and we found certain ingredients on his body matching his house. The forensic report confirmed it was the same, indicating the body was taken from there.”
Further, the SP revealed that the accused Khongsit had a history of violence.
“I just like to underscore here that the killer has a history of violence. In fact, his spouse who has left him, has battered her against the wall, so he has fits of rage always…He is mentally stable, but has a history of violence,” he added.
Police will soon reconstruct the crime scene to determine the sequence of events.
By Our Reporter
