On November, 7, a missing street vendor’s dead body discovered in Jujang Hills, Cachar, has led to serious accusations of police negligence from the victim’s family. Rahul Sheikh, originally from West Bengal and residing in Silchar, last seen on Monday, November 4, when he left for Lakhipur to sell goods. According to his family, if authorities had acted sooner, the life of the vendor might have spared.
A beedi vendor by trade, Rahul found missing while traveling from Jirighat, which raised alarm among his family and local residents. His motorcycle, beedi sacks, and sandals found abandoned near the Jujang Hills, heightening suspicions of foul play. His family reported him missing at the Lakhipur police station and even filed a kidnapping complaint, identifying two fellow vendors—Tasir Sheikh and Abu Sheikh—as suspects, citing past disputes over business territory.
Following the complaint, Lakhipur police, Cachar detained one of the suspects but released him shortly afterward, a decision the family described as “mysterious.” Rahul’s family believes this perceived delay in police response could have significantly impacted the search effort.
Just two days after his missing, Rahul’s body discovered about a kilometer from where his belongings found, buried within the Jujang Hills.
The family, along with locals, search the area from he got missing and uncovered the dead body. Police later retrieved the dead body and sent to Silchar Medical College and Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Rahul’s father voiced his frustration, stating, “The police did not help us the way the locals did in searching for my son. I raised questions, pleaded for assistance, but received none.”
Rahul’s father believes that if authorities had acted promptly, than Rahul could have found sooner.
The family alleges that Tasir Sheikh and Abu Sheikh, both local vendors, had issued threats to Rahul over business competition. In fact, the tension between them has prevailed for long, and they suspect these tensions turned deadly during which he was murdered. Weeks prior to his disappearance, the suspects warned Rahul, the family alleged, which authorities over looked.
