Key accused in minor's rape dies attempting to escape from police

New Delhi: A prime accused in a rape case of a minor girl died in an attempt to escape police custody on Saturday morning, police said.

The police had taken the accused, Tafujal Islam, to the spot where the crime allegedly occurred to re-create the scene around 4 am on the day. During the process, he escaped from police custody, jumped into a pond and died in Nagaon district in Assam, NDTV reported.

The accused's body was able to recover only after two hours once the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was summoned for help.

"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," NDTV quoted a senior police official. The official also claimed that a police constable in the team was also injured and added that they are investigating how the accused was able to flee.

Further, police sources said that the accused was about to take the police to another accused's house. He was arrested on Friday following the investigation of the rape of a 14-year-old girl by three persons in Assam's Nagaon district, while two other suspects are on the run. The heinous crime on the girl allegedly happened on Thursday evening. The girl was returning from coaching class when she was attacked. She was found semi-conscious near a pond with her bicycle beside her, according to local residents.

The girl’s body allegedly remained where she was found for an hour before she was rescued, the local residents added.