Woman axes dad who tried to rape her, body found in backyard pit

GUWAHATI: THE ASSAM POLICE HAVE ARRESTED FIVE FAMILY MEMBERS, THE WOMAN ON CHARGE OF MURDER AND FOUR OTHERS FOR CONCEALING EVIDENCE

Five members of a family, including a 25-year-old woman, have been arrested for the murder of the woman’s father whose decomposed body was found buried in the backyard of their residence in Assam’s Biswanath district, police said on Thursday, amid allegations that the 71-year-old had sexually abused his daughter on several occasions and had tried to rape her again on March 3, the day the murder took place.

Police said they have charged the woman with murder, while four other family members — her mother, brother, and two sisters — have been booked for concealing evidence after the crime.

The matter came to light when the family members lodged a missing complaint with the Biswanath Chariali police on May 11. “The statements they provided during questioning did not corroborate,” said district superintendent of police Diganta Kumar Chaudhary, adding that the body was found on Tuesday.

Further questioning led police to discovering the 15-foot-deep pit that the family had recently dug in their backyard. When confronted again, the woman confessed to the crime.

“The family kept the body in plastic bags for the three days it took them to dig the pit. They finally buried the body on March 7,” another police officer said.

“The woman said in her statement that her father had attempted rape on her. When she resisted, he pulled out an axe. But she overpowered him and killed him with the same weapon,” the officer added.

“The woman was then helped by her mother and the elder brother in hiding the body in a room in their house. The two sisters joined them the next morning in disposing of the body.”

The family has claimed during the interrogation that the 71-year-old man used to sexually abuse his daughter, a student of MA at a local college, on a regular basis. “But we are also looking at the case from other angles, including possible property-related disputes,” the officer said.