Guwahati, March 3: City police have cracked a case related to the dacoity and murder of a 60-year-old man in the Tetelia area under Jalukbari police station here and arrested five accused in the crime.
According to official sources, the murder of Chetia, who was an employee of Amtron, took place at his residence at Green View Colony on April 9, 2022.
Chetia’s wife Babita Konwar Chetia had on April 10, 2022 informed Maligaon outpost under Jalukbari police station that during her absence, some miscreants had entered her house by breaking the iron grill and the main door and killed her husband. She had informed that the miscreants also looted some valuable articles from the house including jewellery.
In this connection, a case (Jalukbari PS case number 219/2022 under Section 396 IPC (dacoity with murder) was registered and investigation taken up by Guwahati Police.
The police team thereafter carried out an investigation and one suspect Majnur Ali (32), a resident of Islampur, Bongora under Azara police station in Kamrup Metro district, was arrested. However, no recoveries and solid evidence could be found from him. The case was pending since then.
“Recently, the case was revisited and a special team from the Crime Branch, Guwahati was entrusted to carry out further investigation of the case. The team carried out further investigation and zeroed in on a suspect,” an official statement issued here on Thursday said.
“During investigation, it was found that the suspect was working in Bengaluru. Accordingly, a team from Guwahati Police was deputed to Bengaluru in search of the suspect. The team carried out meticulous planning and, with the help of Bengaluru Police, picked up the suspect namely Saidur Rahman (23) alias Gela, a resident of Ojagaon, in central Assam’s Darrang district,” the statement said.
Saidur was absconding after the incident and was hiding in Bengaluru and was working as a driver in a private company there.
“The suspect was picked up on February 25, 2023 and on interrogation, confessed to the crime and also named his associates who were involved in commission of the dacoity cum murder,” the statement said.
He was brought from Bangalore Court to Guwahati on transit remand.
“Based on the confession of Saidur, the other accused persons involved in the heinous crime were identified and arrested in connection with the case. During interrogation, all the accused persons confessed to their involvement in commission of the crime,” the statement said.
Among these, Surat Jamal alias Kalu was picked from Datalpara under Fatasil Ambari area and Abdul Rashid from his residence at Mandia, Barpeta.
The other accused, Rafiqul Islam alias Genda, is already in Central Jail, Guwahati as he was arrested in Fatasil Ambari police station case number 14/2023 under Sections 454/380 of IPC and case number 244/2022 under Sections 454/380 of IPC and kept in judicial custody since January 22, 2023.
Another accused, Dilbar Khan, a resident of Satrakanara in Barpeta district, was picked up from his residence as he was the original receiver of the stolen jewellery.
“All the four accused, namely Saidur Rahman, Surat Jamaal, Rafiqul Islam and Abdul Rashid, are habitual offenders who regularly break into locked houses and commit burglary. They had surveyed the probable houses for targets and decided finally to target the house of the victim whose family was away from home,” the statement said.
“In the intervening night of April 9 and 10, 2022, at around 1am, when it was raining, the four accused entered the house of the victim by cutting through the iron grill and breaking the lock of the main door of the house,” it said.
“On finding the victim inside the house, they killed him using a wooden plank and took away three watches, some jewellery and cash. After leaving the scene, they hid themselves in a building opposite the victim’s house and divided the loot amongst themselves,” it said.
“All of them thereafter fled to their own places and the accused Saidur Rahman fled to Bengaluru,” police said.
The investigating team was also able to seize and recover a golden coloured chain and three golden coloured bangles which were looted were recovered on being led by accused Surat Jamal.
“The chain was recovered from one of the wives of the accused person at Fatasil Ambari and she was found wearing it. The three bangles were recovered from the other house of the accused person at Matia, Goalpara where the other wife stays. Further investigation is on,” police said.