Man who snatched cop's rifle in Meghalaya nabbed

The man who allegedly snatched a rifle from a police officer in South West Garo Hills district has been arrested. However, the stolen rifle is untraceable. Further investigation into the matter is on.

Tura (Meghalaya): A differently-abled man, who had allegedly snatched a rifle from a police officer in South West Garo Hills district some days before, was arrested on Friday.

"The 35-year-old man was hiding behind a government school from where he was apprehended," SP Rituraj Ravi said.

"The man had attacked people on a road near Nandichar on July 21. When police intervened, he attacked them with a machete. Policemen fired in the air to scare him but he fled away with a rifle," the SP added.

Earlier, rumours of him being shot dead by police following the snatching incident had sparked an attack on a police station by a mob of over 400 on July 21.

The SP said that the rifle, which the man claimed to have thrown into floodwaters, is untraceable.

Further investigation into the matter is on.