Kohima, Aug 20 : In a major breakthrough into the August 14 murder case that has paralyzed life along the Assam-Nagaland border in Merapani area bordering Wokha district in Nagaland, the police has taken into custody one Ramiz Ali, reportedly a business partner of the murdered victim.
Ali had since confessed to having murdered Bhubon Ali (42) on August 14.
According to official sources here today the accused has been forwarded to judicial custody.
The body of Bhubon Ali was recovered on Sunday from below the road in an area between Sunglup and Lakhuti village under Bhandari sub-division with his throat slit and back of the head slashed by a machete.
The murder had created communal tension between the neighbouring community of the two states although no untoward incident had been reported so far.
On Sunday last, after the news of the murder, some Naga youths were reportedly harassed and physically assaulted across the border in Assam. In retaliation, public of Bhandari had detained 15 Assamese youth, it was reported, but were released on the intervention by the Border Magistrates of the two states.
As immediate fallout of the incident, the Kyong (Lotha) Hoho and other frontal organizations had called an indefinite bandh along the Wokha-Merapani road, which continued for the third day today.
Traffic remained restrained while business establishment continued to remain closed.
Sources confirmed that there was no report of any untoward incident, but said communal tension still prevailed in the area.