TURA: Assam Police have arrested the man who had allegedly lured a 17-year-old-girl from the Tikrikilla region of West Garo Hills to elope with him before she died of suspected poisoning earlier this week.
The accused was arrested shortly after he was discharged from a hospital in Goalpara on Thursday night.
Mahabul Hoque from Bhimganj village under Lakhipur police station in Goalpara district had allegedly courted the girl before the elopement on Tuesday. She was found dead the next day from a suspected case of poisoning in his village while the 22-year-old Hoque was admitted to a hospital with similar symptoms.
With the parents of the girl filing an FIR with Tikrikilla police over the kidnapping and death of their daughter, Garo Hills police registered a case of abduction and abetment to murder against the youth and also dispatched a wireless message to the Goalpara police seeking his custody.
However, since the death of the teenager occurred in the neighbouring state, Assam Police also registered a case and arrested Hoque. An arrest warrant is also out for his parents for abetment in the crime, but the couple is absconding.
“Assam Police have arrested and obtained custody of the accused and once their custody gets over we will take him in,” informed West Garo Hills Superintendent of Police MGR Kumar. The abduction and subsequent death of the young girl in the neighbouring state had led to anger and concern with organisations such as the Nokmas and Gaonburas association and the A’chik Youth Council terming the incident as nothing short of murder. They had demanded the immediate arrest of the accused.
In the light of heightened tension over the incident, police from both the states have each deputed a gazetted officer to supervise and liaise with each other for a foolproof investigation into the case.
“The Goalpara SP and I are coordinating the case on a day-to-day basis also,” informed Kumar.
He also revealed that the viscera of the victim have been sent to the State Forensic Laboratory (FSL) for histopathological and toxicological examination to ascertain the cause of death.
Garo Hills Police have recorded the statements of the complainant and family members of the victim.
