The prime suspect in the alleged rape of a minor girl in Assam drowned on Saturday morning after jumping into a pond while attempting to escape the police.
The incident took place in Dhing, Nagaon district, where the accused, Tafazzul Islam, drowned in a pond near the crime scene, sources told News18.
According to the Assam Police, Islam, who was arrested on Friday, was taken to the crime scene for a re-enactment around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday.
#WATCH | The body of the prime accused of the Dhing gang rape incident in Assam’s Nagaon district, Tafazul Islam recovered from a pond. The police had earlier arrested him in connection with the case.
“When a police team took him last night to the spot for investigation where… pic.twitter.com/ow29EJ37j7
— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2024
“The accused escaped from police custody and jumped into the pond. A search operation was launched immediately and his body was recovered after nearly two hours,” a police official told PTI.
On Thursday, a 14-year-old girl, a class 10 student, was allegedly gang-raped by three men in Dhing. She was found in a semi-conscious state near a pond with her bicycle beside her.
Police stated that the incident took place around 8 p.m. when the girl was returning home from tuition on her bicycle.
Three men arrived on a motorcycle, surrounded the girl, and allegedly raped her. They then left her injured and unconscious by the roadside near a pond. The class 10 student was later rescued by local residents, who notified the police.
She was initially taken to a health centre in Dhing and later shifted to a hospital in Nagaon for treatment and medical examination.