Prime accused in Assam rape case jumps into pond, dies

The prime accused in the rape of a minor girl allegedly escaped from police custody, jumped into a pond and died on Saturday morning at Dhing in Assam’s Nagaon district. The incident occurred during a re-creation of the crime scene at 3.30 am on Saturday. The accused, Tafazul Islam, who had been apprehended the previous day, managed to flee and jumped into the water body, leading to his death.

“When a police team took him last night 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 morning,” Swapnaneel Deka, Superintendent of Police of Nagaon district told ANI.

The 14-year-old girl was raped by three persons who came in a motorcycle and surrounded her while she was returning home from tuition on her bicycle at Dhing on Thursday (August 22) evening. She was left injured and unconscious on the roadside near a pond, before being rescued by locals who informed police.