One arrested in Radha Kumari murder case

OUR BUREAU

TINSUKIA/SIVASAGAR/JOYSAGAR/JORHAT, July 12: In the latest development in the murder of 21-year-old Radha Kumari, whose body was recovered from the toilet of the Dibrugarh-Rangiya Kamkhya Express on Tuesday when the train had stopped at Simaluguri Railway Station in Sivasagar district, the State Police have claimed to have got some vital clues into the murder after RPF picked up a person moving suspiciously in New Tinsukia Railway Station during the morning hours on Thursday.

Based on CCTV footage, the RPF team nabbed the 45-year old person, identified as Bikash Das of Tinsukia, and handed him over to the State Police. A combined investigating police team from Sivasagar, Jorhat, and RPF led by a senior police officer of Sivasagar has been grilling the suspect at the DRM office complex here till filing of this report. Though the person is yet to be arrested, a senior police source said Das has confessed before the investigating team of committing the murder. Das, who was a tea and cloth vendor, of late gave up the profession and started targeting lone women inside trains with the primary motive of rape and subsequent murder. He further said that he had an accomplice who jointly committed the crime. A police source said the investigation was going in the right track and police were confident of making a breakthrough soon. The team is being assisted by Tinsukia Police.

Police, however, did not rule out involvement of a psychopath or serial killer following recovery of another woman inside the toilet of Awadh Assam Express at Mariani Junction on Wednesday. While the modus operandi of killing of both the victims was same, the Dibrugarh Police picked up another person who was earlier involved in the murder of his wife inside the train toilet.

On the other hand, Joutha Sangrami Moncha, an umbrella organization, has sought a compensation of Rs 20 lakh from the Railways. In a memorandum submitted to the Railway Minister through the Station Master, Sivasagar, the organization also demanded adequate security to the passengers. The murderer could have been caught had there been CCTV installed in the station, the organization said.

Pallav Gopal Jha, Deputy Commissioner of Sivasagar and Subudh Sonowal, Superintendent of Police, Sivasagar visited the bereaved family and assured them all possible help from their sides. Debabrata Saikia, leader of the Opposition and MLA of Nazira, also visited Radha’s family and donated Rs. 15,000 to her mother on Wednesday.

The students of AAU, through a statement to the Deputy Commissioners of Sivasagar and Jorhat, demanded CBI enquiry into the murder. Her mother is a fourth grade worker in a private school in Sivasagar district. AAU has announced to provide Rs 30 lakh as compensation to Radha’s mother. The Assam Government has decided to provide a sum of Rs 5 lakh to Radha’s mother and following this, Sivasagar ADC A. Doley handed over a cheque to Radha’s mother Tara Devi at her rented house on Wednesday. Jorhat MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa visited Radha’s house on Thursday and promised to help the family.