Imphal, December 23 2010: Amid contradictory claims and under suspicious circumstances, a young man who worked as a goldsmith was found dead in the house of his master.

According to police, 28-year old Longjam Inaobi s/o Irabot of Patsoi Part-I was working as a goldsmith in the jewellery house of one Kangabam Pritam s/o Mouro of Keishampat Kangabam Leikai and he was found dead hanging inside the toilet of the house of his master in the afternoon yesterday.

However, the family members claimed that Inaobi was hung after being beaten to death.

Shyam, elder brother of late Inaobi, said that there was an incident in which 5 tolas of Gold got lost from the jewellery house.

His younger brother had admitted to stealing the gold and assured the master that it would be refunded.

Accordingly, Inaobi had gone along with his wife Ishingjaobi and his mother-in-law Tombi Devi to the house of the master in the morning yesterday to refund money for the stolen gold.

After the matter was settled, Ishingjaobi and her mother came home while Inaobi stayed back after his master reinstated him to his work.

Not long after Ishingjaobi and her mother returned home, they received a phone call from one Ratan, who is an uncle of Ishingjaobi, telling them to come immediately as Inaobi had consumed acid, Shyam recalled, adding that Ratan was also present when the negotiation with the master was arrived at.

However, when they reached the house of Pritam, the body of Inaobi was found covered with a cloth and they were told that Inaobi hung himself to death inside the toilet.

Shyam asserted that the tongue of Inaobi was not found sticking out nor had he soiled his pants.

Instead, there were injury marks on his temple, neck and blood were oozing out from his nostrils and mouth although a Khudei was found tied around his neck.

Shyam has also demanded to know why the body was taken down without the presence of the police if at all his younger brother hung himself inside the toilet.

The roof of the toilet in which his younger brother allegedly hung himself to death is also not high enough, he asserted, adding that all these evidences point that his younger brother was hung after being beaten up to death and the body was taken down without the knowledge of the police to destroy all these evidences.

Shyam said that the body of his younger brother would not be taken until the truth behind the killing known.

On the other hand, a public meeting was held today at the community hall of Patsoi Part-I in connection with the alleged killing.

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