Nagaon, August 24: Police have recovered the body of the prime accused in the alleged gang rape of a minor girl in the Dhing area of Assam. The prime accused in the case, Tafazul Islam, allegedly escaped from police custody, jumped into a pond and died, said police on Saturday morning. Swapnaneel Deka, Superintendent of Police of Nagaon district told ANI over the phone that on Friday police arrested Tafazul Islam in connection with the case.
"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," he said.
The senior police official said that operations are underway to nab the other two accused persons. A 14-year-old minor girl was allegedly gang-raped by three persons in the Dhing area on August 22 evening while she was returning to home from tuition classes.
Body of Prime Accused in Gang-Rape Case Recovered From Pond
The incident triggered massive protests in the Dhing area where locals and various organisations demanded stringent action against the culprits. Assam Director General of Police, GP Singh on Friday visited the site and met the victim's family members and also spoke with the senior police officials.
Speaking on the incident, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday, "When there is any atrocity against women, we need to take prompt action."
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Addressing the media, Sarma said, "I would like to say just one thing. When there is any atrocity against women, we need to take prompt action. But the public should see that the government is taking strict action. When people feel that the government is showing laxity, they get angry. When such incidents take place, the government should take very aggressive action. The government in Bengal didn't do it, so people got angry."
He further stated that after the Lok Sabha elections this year, "we are seeing a specific community of people indulging in criminal activities." "The perpetrators of the incident at Dhing, involving a Hindu minor, will be punished," he added.According to reports, locals found the girl in a semi-conscious state by the side of a road and immediately admitted her to a hospital.