Shillong, Aug. 31 -- Preliminary investigations into Sunday's police encounter that killed four suspected criminals including a contract killer in East Garo Hills' Songsak have exposed a possible Assam-Meghalaya contract-killing and ransom network, police said on Monday.

The link surfaced after Assam police identified one of the four men shot dead on Sunday as the alleged gunman involved in the August 23 killing of businessman Abu Syed in Assam's Damra locality.

The encounter appears to be the culmination of an intelligence-led operation that began in Assam - following Syed's murder -- where four people were arrested in connection with the Damra murder. They allegedly told investigators that money was given to a contract killer named Al...