Silchar: Five people have been arrested after a suspected hit-and-run killed a police officer in Dima Hasao district.Sub-inspector Nabajit Das (38), officer-in-charge of Laisong police outpost, was conducting a naka-checking operation with other personnel late on Friday when a car allegedly hit him. The vehicle was recovered nearby, but its driver and occupants had fled.Initially treated as an accident, the case took a suspected criminal conspiracy turn after investigators found indications that Das might have been deliberately targeted.Searches in Laisong and adjoining areas led to two arrests on Saturday night and three more after that.Police sources identified the alleged main accused as Selim Uddin, a suspected wholesale drug dealer operating a network in Juria, Nagaon. The others are Uddin’s brother Mohidul Islam, father Abdul Kuddus Farazi, and associates Muffazzol Islam of Boriguri and Ruksana Khatun alias Pinki of Kadamoni Pathar.Investigators are examining whether the alleged network was involved in Das’s death and whether the checkpoint could have led to police action against it.Police sources said the vehicle was registered in Abdul Kuddus’s name. Its alleged link to the narcotics network has not been established. A search is underway for others suspected to have been in the vehicle.“After Nabajit took charge of the Laisang police outpost, anti-drug operations in the area were intensified. We are examining whether this led to any confrontation between him and drug peddlers,” a police officer involved in the investigation said, adding that the probe was still at a preliminary stage.Dima Hasao police paid tribute to Das in the presence of SP Ripunjoy Kakoty, 26 Assam Rifles commanding officer Col Rakesh Krishnan, additional SPs Faruk Ahmed and Luit Talukdar, and other personnel.Several organisations have demanded stringent action and a thorough investigation. All five accused remain in custody.
