Guwahati: A local businessman has come forward with serious allegations against Synshar Khymdeit, who allegedly posed as the area collector of the banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) of Meghalaya.
In a letter addressed to Shillong Press Club President Deimaia Siangshai, dated April 7, 2025, but received only recently, the businessman claimed that Khymdeit sent him a threatening demand note.
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The businessman pointed out that Khymdeit had previously held a press conference at the Shillong Press Club on August 1, 2023, where he denied issuing any demand notes on behalf of the HNLC.
That denial came just a day after a local newspaper published a report in which a woman from Mawlai accused Khymdeit of demanding Rs 20 lakh from her.
The businessman recalled past reports that named Khymdeit as the HNLC’s area collector for East Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi districts.
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According to the businessman, he first received a threatening letter on January 28, 2022. The letter, allegedly signed by HNLC operatives Wallamjingsuk Barim and Synshar Khymdeit, demanded ?4.4 lakh as “tax” to the outfit.
Quoting from the note, the businessman said it contained severe threats:
“Dear taxpayer, you are hereby informed that the last date for payment of annual income tax to the HNLC is 03.03.2022. As a new establishment, you are required to pay a tax amount of Rs 4.4 lakh. Please keep the money ready by the mentioned date to avoid any unpleasant consequences… If you inform the police, we will plant a bomb at your doorstep, you will lose your family and everyone you love… By the end of this month, we will bomb Police Bazaar.”
The businessman admitted that he initially dismissed the threats as a bluff. However, after an IED explosion shook Police Bazaar on January 30, 2022, he said fear compelled him to pay. On March 3, 2022, a man who identified himself as Synshar Khymdeit allegedly collected the money in person.
Exactly a year later, on March 3, 2023, the same man returned and issued another demand, according to the businessman. This time, the threat escalated.
“He said the HNLC would exterminate my family if I refused to pay. He warned that bombings would occur in Iew Mawlong in 2024, Iewduh in 2026, and Mawbah in 2028,” the businessman revealed.
Fearing further violence, the businessman said he shut down his shop and reopened it under a different name. He moved his family to his in-laws’ home and has since gone into hiding at an undisclosed location.
“I’ve lived in fear for too long. I’ve decided to speak up and share everything now,” he told the press club in his letter.