Assam police have arrested a 50-year-old man for attempting to have sex with the body of a 14-year-old girl. The child had died under mysterious circumstances a few days ago after which family members had buried her body along the Simen River.
The appalling incident took place under the limits of Silapathar police station in Assam’s Dhemaji district.
According to reports, the minor died on the night of May 17 and was buried on the banks of Simen River at Demgaon.
It was on the afternoon of May 18 that a group of local fishermen saw a person attempting to rape the girl’s dead body. They caught hold of the man and handed him over to the police.
He was later identified as one Akan Saikia. The accused told police officers that he dug up the grave and took the girl’s body out with the intention of having sex with it.
Police arrested Saikia and registered a case against him at Silapathar police station under sections 306 and 377 of the IPC and Section 8 of the POCSO Act, Dhemaji district Superintendent of Police (SP) Dhananjay Ghanawat told India Today over the phone.
Dhemaji Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarter) Pradip Konwar said Saikia was released from jail recently following court directives to release prisoners in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“The accused does not appear to be suffering from a mental disorder. Earlier in 2018, his wife had lodged an FIR that led to his arrest. A case was registered against him under Section 498 (A) of IPC on the basis of his wife’s complaint. He was absconding and police arrested him in September 2019 and he was jailed by a court,” added DSP Pradip Konwar.
DSP Konwar also mentioned rumours among locals that sexual harassment by Saikia had driven the minor girl to suicide. He further added, “Our investigation is going on. The court had sent the accused person to jail.”