Tura, Jan 19: The citizens of Tura and sports lovers of Garo Hills were in for a shock on Friday morning when they landed at the Pa Togan Nengminja Athletics stadium, also known as Tura Track & Field Stadium, to find a portion of the synthetic turf damaged from vandalism.

A man residing outside the periphery of the stadium was caught red handed by police personnel on duty while he was stripping the running track at the far end of the stadium at around 10 AM. He has since been arrested.

The athletic stadium has turned out to be the biggest attraction for thousands of people from Garo Hills ever since it was inaugurated with scores of visitors thronging the venue every day, awestruck by its magnificent construction.

The athletic stadium with international standards played host to the track and field events of the 5th Meghalaya Games and many a star were discovered and records broken at this year’s games.