Missing polling official found dead in Karbi Anglong forest

Guwahati: The nude and decomposed body of a 45-year-old polling official, who went missing on polling day (April 9) after falling ill, was found in a remote area of Karbi Anglong district, officials said on Sunday. His body was recovered nine days after he went missing.

The body of Cornelius Kindu was discovered in the Rongmongwey area, about 180km from the district headquarters at Diphu, by a few locals on Saturday who alerted the authorities, said senior superintendent of police (SSP) Pushpraj Singh.

“The polling official suddenly fell ill and was advised to sit outside the polling station. He thereafter went missing. On Saturday, a local spotted the body and informed the police, and he was identified as Kindu,” the SSP said.

Singh added that the location where the body was found is extremely remote. “It is a forested area, and it takes around three to four hours on foot from the nearest village to reach the spot. The location falls near Kuthori, about 180km from Diphu,” he said.

The officer said the body was handed over to the family after the postmortem examination.

Kindu hails from the same district and was serving as a polling officer at the No.-19 Sarpo Kathar LP School polling station on April 9.

However, the cause of death is yet to be ascertained, said the officer.

Earlier, authorities had launched a search operation after Kindu failed to return to his Diphu residence. Despite extensive efforts, including the use of drones to scan the hilly and densely forested terrain, the search yielded no result until the body was found.Get real-time updates and result insights on the CBSE 12 Result 2026.