A middle aged woman was strangled to death in Tripura after being purportedly raped by one of her villagers on Monday. Taking prompt action after receiving complaint, police arrested the prime accused in the case on Tuesday from his residence at a time when he was about to abscond, police said.
The 32 years old woman following her daily routine went deep inside the forest to collect firewood at her village located somewhere under the Baikhora police station of South Tripura district. As time passed with darkness started to plunge and she did not return, her family members started searching here inside the forest. Some of his villagers also helped him.
The villagers spotted her body lying at a Litchi orchard grown inside the forest. Soon police were informed and a team of police led by SDPO Santirbazar went to the place of occurrence and took custody of the body. Husband of the deceased, Dhananjoy Tripura lodged an FIR with Baikhora police station naming Heranta Tripura, who had been seen a couple of times teasing his wife. According to Dhananjoy’s statement, Heranta tried molesting his wife and was scolded by him earlier.
The police after investigation arrested the accused late on Tuesday night. “He was preparing to leave his house in search of a safe place after he learnt about the FIR lodged against him. He had confessed his crime in front of the Sub-divisional magistrate. A case had been filed against him under section 302 IPC for murdering the woman”, OC Biakhora Rajib Saha said.
On the rape, he said, a team of special doctors has been constituted to conduct the autopsy to ascertain whether there was any rape or not but prima facie, the way she was lying at the surface and positions of the clothes indicate there could be something like that. The matter still awaits a final take from the experts, the OC added.
He also informed the media that the murder weapon–a Gamcha (indegenous towel) that was used to strangulate her was seized from the accused along with the sickle (da) and some ornaments that belonged to the deceased.
