A probe into the death of a person, suspected to be a dacoit, in a police encounter in Assam's Udalguri district confirmed that it was a case of "mistaken identity".
The CID probe concluded that the person killed in the shootout was not dacoit Kenaram Boro (also known as Kenaram Basumatary) but a person identified as Dimbeswar Muchahary, who his family asserted was a "small-time farmer". The police, however, claimed he was also a "hardened criminal".
The police claimed that two policemen were also injured in the "shootout" in Dhansirikhuti village in Rowta area on February 24.
The body of the dead person was initially handed over to Boro's mother after she identified him as her son. But after the final rites, Muchahary's family claimed it was their son.
A police complaint was filed, following which Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ordered a CID probe, which began on March 2.
Subsequently, the body was exhumed, a DNA analysis was conducted and it was found that the body was of Muchahary and not of Boro, the police said.
A former member of the banned outfit National Democratic Front of Bodoland, Kenaram Boro is wanted in several cases of armed robberies in Assam and Meghalaya. He was arrested earlier with firearms on several occasions, the police officer said.
Muchahary alias Gobla was also a "hardened criminal" and was arrested with firearms earlier. Both were shown as absconders in a case, a police official said.
