New Delhi:

A key accused in the rape case of a minor girl died after trying to escape police custody this morning, police said. The accused, identified as Tafujal Islam, was being taken to the location – where the crime allegedly took place – for a re-creation of the crime scene around 4 am. He then escaped from police custody and jumped into the pond at Dhing in Assam’s Nagaon district.

A search operation was launched and his body was recovered with the help of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) after about two hours, the police said.

“After his interrogation, he was taken for crime scene re-creation. When he was taken there, he suddenly tried to pull the handcuff from a constable’s grip and flee. He then fell in a nearby pond,” a senior police official said.

Our constable was also injured, he said.

“We are investigating as to how he was able to flee,” he added.

Tafujal Islam was also going to take the police to another accused’s residence, police sources said.

He was arrested on Friday after a 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped by three persons in Assam’s Nagaon district on Thursday evening. Two other suspects in the case are on the run.

The alleged assault reportedly took place when the girl was returning from a coaching class.

She was found in a semi-conscious state near a pond with her bicycle beside her, local residents said. She was on the roadside for about an hour before residents rescued her.

Himanta Biswa Sarma On Assam Rape Case

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had called it a “crime against humanity” and said that it has “struck our collective conscience”.

“We will NOT SPARE anyone and BRING the perpetrators to JUSTICE. I’ve directed the Assam Police chief to visit the site and ensure swift action against such monsters,” he had said in a post on X on Friday.

The horrific incident at Dhing, involving a minor, is a crime against humanity and has struck our collective conscience.

We will NOT SPARE anyone & BRING the perpetrators to JUSTICE. I’ve directed @DGPAssamPolice to visit the site and ensure swift action against such monsters.

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 23, 2024

The girl is recovering in hospital and a report of the medical test to confirm sexual assault is awaited.

Shops, markets, and education institutions in the area remained shut on Friday as a mark of protest. Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed to enhance security during this period.

The incident comes amid widespread protests against sexual violence in the aftermath of the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at a Kolkata hospital on August 9.