Assam SP held for taking money from rape, murder accused to dilute case

A suspended Additional SP and three government doctors were arrested earlier for trying to shield the main accused, a Sashastra Seema Bal jawan

The Assam CID Police on Thursday arrested a suspended Superintendent of Police (SP) for taking money from a person accused of raping and murdering a minor Adivasi girl to dilute the case.

This followed the arrest of a suspended Additional SP and three government doctors who allegedly tried to destroy evidence and shield Krishna Kama Baruah, a Sashastra Seema Bal jawan and one of the two persons accused in the case registered at the Dhula police station in Darrang district on June 12.

A statement issued by the Assam Police said Raj Mohan Ray was the SP of Darrang district when the case was registered. A fresh case was registered against him after it was established through analyses of bank accounts and other records that he received ₹2 lakh from the family of the accused through the officer in-charge of the Dhula police station for “extending undue favours to screen the accused and dilute the case”.

“He is being produced before the court of the special judge, Guwahati and remand is being sought for further interrogation,” the statement said.

The body of the 13-year-old girl was found hanging inside Baruah’s house at Dhula. The local police and the accused claimed that the girl had committed suicide and her body was buried after an autopsy. But family members of the accused suspected it to be a rape and murder case and said the police had pressured them not to file a written complaint against the accused.

The case was transferred to the CID on August 12 after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Director-General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta visited the house of the victim to assuage sentiments due to “certain lapses” in the investigation by the Dhula Police.