Guwahati: A 26-year-old man has been arrested in Assam for the murder of a 72-year-old woman in Guwahati’s Kharghuli area, less than 24 hours after the incident was reported.
The accused, Ratul Das, had been working as a caretaker for the victim, Bandana Das, for nearly a year.
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Police said he allegedly climbed the boundary wall of the residence around midnight on July 1 and killed her while she was asleep in her locked room.
The body was discovered around 7:30 am on Wednesday, July 2. The police launched an immediate investigation and detained Ratul the same day.
“Preliminary evidence and his behavior aroused suspicion early on. During questioning, he confessed to the murder,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Amitabh Basumatary.
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According to investigators, Ratul attempted to mislead the authorities by staging the scene to look like a break-in. A cut on his finger, sustained during the attack, became a key piece of evidence linking him to the crime.
“He disposed of the murder weapon behind the house and threw his blood-stained vest into a nearby drain,” the DCP said. “He even locked the room from inside to make it appear as though an outsider was involved.”
On Thursday, police escorted Ratul to the crime scene where he assisted in recovering the hidden weapon. During interrogation, he claimed he was intoxicated at the time of the incident and cited frequent verbal abuse and financial disputes with the victim as the motive.
In a related development, police have also named Ratul’s wife, Kunjalata Das, as an accused for allegedly withholding information. Investigators said she knew about the murder after her husband confessed to her but chose not to inform the authorities.
“Her silence could have significantly affected the course of the investigation,” said DCP Basumatary.