Assam minor gang rape case: Accused escapes police custody, found dead in pond

One of the three accused in the gang-rape of a 14-year-old girl in Assam died after jumping into a pond while handcuffed during a police reenactment.

Tafazul Islam, the prime accused who was arrested on Friday (Aug 23), allegedly escaped the police custody and jumped into pond.

For the unversed, a 14-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped by three persons in Assam's Nagaon district on Thursday (Aug 22), triggering massive protests by people on the streets.

The girl was left unconscious and injured on the roadside near a pond, before being rescued by locals who informed police.

The police informed, the girl was allegedly assaulted and raped by three persons while she was returning home from her tuition on her bicycle in Dhing area around 8pm on Thursday.

Police said accused Islam was taken to the location where the crime was allegedly committed for a re-creation of the crime scene around 3.30am.

"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," police added.

Police arrested one suspect, detained another, and continued searching for a third in connection with the crime. The director general of police reviewed the investigation on Friday.

Swapnaneel Deka, superintendent of police of Nagaon district told news agency ANI that when Tafazul Islam was taken to the spot for investigation where the incident took place, the prime accused tried to flee and jumped into a pond located nearby the site.

"Our police personnel engaged in a search operation and with the help of the SDRF team we recovered his body from the pond today (Aug 24) morning," he said.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday, "When there is any crime against women, we need to take prompt action."

Addressing the media, Sarma added, “Whenever a heinous crime against women occurs, swift and decisive action must be taken. Public perception is crucial; the government must demonstrate a firm commitment to justice. Laxity breeds public anger. In such cases, aggressive measures are essential. The government in Bengal failed to meet this standard, leading to widespread public outrage."

(With inputs from agencies)