Suspended Assam Cop Arrested For Taking Bribe From Rape Accused's Relative

Suspended Superintendent of Police Raj Mohan Ray was on Thursday arrested for allegedly taking Rs 2 lakh as a bribe from the kin of a man accused of raping and killing a 13-year-old girl in Assam's Darrang district, a CID statement said.

The SP was arrested after evidence was collected, the release issued by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said.

Ray had taken illegal gratification from the kin of the accused in the girl's murder case for extending undue favours to dilute the case, it said.

He has been arrested in a fresh case registered by the Assam CID under the Prevention of Corruption Act and sections of the IPC, the statement said.

After analysing bank account statements of the accused's family, call detail records, tower locations and geo-location mapping, CID investigators found that Ray had "received an amount of Rs 2 lakh from the accused's family", it said.

Ray had received the amount through the then officer-in-charge of Dhula police station, Utpal Borah, who was arrested by the CID on October 31.

The then Additional SP Rupam Phukan and three doctors of Mangaldai Civil Hospital -- Arun Chandra Deka, Ajanta Bordoloi and Anupam Sharma, who had conducted the first post-mortem examination -- were arrested on November 7 for "several commissions and omissions".

At present, the local magistrate, Ashirvad Hazarika, whose role has also come under the scanner, is absconding, the CID stated.

A 13-year-old domestic help was allegedly raped and killed in June, and an FIR was lodged with Dhula police station.

The incident led to an outrage with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visiting the girl's family on August 12 following their allegations that the police displayed extreme dereliction of duty in collecting evidence.

The family had further alleged that the Dhula police station in-charge had put pressure on them to not file a written complaint on the unnatural death.

"...adequate evidence have been brought on record to prove the offences of molestation, murder, destruction of evidence, attempt to rape under IPC and sexual assault on a minor child under POCSO Act," the CID release said.

During the course of the probe, the state investigation agency had exhumed the body, got a second autopsy done, consulted a panel of forensic experts and conducted DNA profiling of the main accused and it matched with the fluids on the clothes of the victim, it added.

"Accordingly, the detailed chargesheet was filed on September 25 against the main accused, who is presently in judicial custody," the CID said.

It further stated that after filing the chargesheet, CID started probing the role of government officials and it unearthed the illegal actions of the police, magistrate and doctors conducting the first post-mortem examination.

"The CID has also conducted searches at the residences of the arrested OC, additional SP and the SP and certain incriminating materials were seized. Further investigation is continuing on a day-to-day basis," the release said.

The chief minister had earlier ordered the suspension of Ray, Phukan and Borah. He had also ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case.

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