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Six arrested in Arunachal’s revenge murder case
On December 15, 2024, police received a complaint from residents of Kapu Dada village reporting the disappearance of their father, Takom Dada and his body was found a day later
A revenge murder in Arunachal Pradesh’s East Kameng district led to the arrest of six individuals, following an exhaustive probe into the murder of a man whose body was found with multiple cut wounds near the Pachi River late last year.
On December 15, 2024, police received a complaint from residents of Kapu Dada village reporting the disappearance of their father, Takom Dada. A day later, his naked body—bearing deep machete wounds to the head, back and neck— was recovered from the riverbank.
Thereafter, a case was registered at Chayang Tajo police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
With no eyewitnesses, police relied on technical surveillance to gather evidence. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by SP Kamdam Sikom along with police headquarters in Itanagar, zeroed in on an unidentified mobile number active near the crime scene. The number’s link to other suspects helped identify all those involved.
By January 2025, anticipatory bail pleas by the accused— Sambo Jelly Lamgu, Ashing Lamgu, Tabing Lamgu, Tungdang Lamgu, and Rasam Lamgu—were rejected by the Gauhati high court’s Itanagar bench. On January 17, the police tracked and arrested the first accused, Tungri Lamgu, from Naharlagun.
As the legal process advanced, the Supreme Court dismissed bail pleas filed by key accused. Kaller, Tungdang, and Rasam Lamgu surrendered on February 18, followed by Tabing Lamgu on March 19. The last accused, Ashing Lamgu, was arrested after his bail was denied twice in April.
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Police have confirmed that the murder was an act of vengeance stemming from a previous attack in December 2023.
Back then, Takom Dada had allegedly assaulted Longya Lamgu with a machete in a dispute over a semi-domesticated bovine native to the region. Longya, later died of his injuries, and though Takom was arrested, he was out on bail, when he was killed.
“This case is a stark reminder that taking the law into one’s own hands only leads to tragedy. Acts of revenge offer no real justice. They only deepen suffering,” said SP Kamdam Sikom.
All six accused are now in judicial custody as charge sheets have been filed.
