In a shocking turn of events, a joint team of Basistha Police Station and the Crime Branch, Guwahati, have successfully arrested the accused in the kidnapping and murder of a minor on Wednesday evening in Guwahati.
At around 3:30 PM on Wednesday, Rajesh Kumar, the victim’s father reported to the Basistha Police Station that he received a call from an unidentified number about his son being kidnapped and that the alleged kidnapper had demanded a ransom of ₹7 lakh for his release.
Responding immediately, a collaborative effort between the Basistha PS and Crime Branch initiated a rigorous investigation into the case.
But the body of the kidnapped minor was found in the Amching forest area of Guwahati in the wee hours of Thursday morning.
OCCURRENCE OF THE CRIME
The accused and the victim were acquainted with each other in 2019, having initially met online through a gaming platform called "Free Fire." Over time, their relationship grew stronger, leading to in-person meetings at various locations.
At their first encounter in 2019, the accused worked as a cook in the canteen of the AG Office in Beltola, while the victim was a student in the eighth grade.
Subsequently, the accused established a small restaurant named ‘Burp Cartel’ at Narengi Tiniali.
The day before the incident, the victim contacted the accused and conveyed the decision to skip school the following day and instead spend the day with the accused and embark on a visit to the waterfalls in Amsing Forest Reserve near Bonda. The victim instructed the accused to meet in the morning, around school hours, at Bongaon, Beltola.
On the day of the incident, the accused arrived in Bongaon on his scooty and met the victim around 6.30 AM near Basanat Doloi path, Bongaon, Beltola. Subsequently, they travelled to Narengi, where they paused briefly at the accused's restaurant.
Adjacent to the restaurant was a rented room used by the accused's staff. In this room, the victim changed out of the school uniform and into civilian attire. The accused and the victim then rode on the same scooty to the forested area in Amsing Forest, Bonda.
Parking the scooty outside the forest, they ventured in on foot. Notably, the accused took a long sword with him, ostensibly for clearing a path through the forest.
While within the forest, an intense argument transpired between the accused and the victim, culminating in the accused drawing the sword and slitting the victim's throat. The victim collapsed, prompting the accused to inflict further injuries to ensure the victim's demise.
The altercation resulted in significant damage to the accused's trousers. Subsequently, the accused removed the victim's trousers, put them on, and left the crime scene. Upon reaching home, the accused changed his clothes before departing for Khanapara, likely motivated by fear of capture.
Following the crime, the accused conceived a plan to portray the incident as a kidnapping for ransom. To this end, on August 9, 2023, around 2:45 PM, the accused made a ransom call to the victim's father, demanding a sum of ₹7 lakh. Later that evening, the police apprehended the accused.
THE MOTIVE BEHIND THE CRIME
In the year 2022, initially, the accused borrowed ₹30,000 from the victim with an interest arrangement. The victim obtained the money from another friend to lend it to the accused.
After one week, the accused returned ₹40,000 to the victim. Additionally, on two subsequent occasions, the accused borrowed money from the victim, promptly repaying the amounts along with the agreed-upon interest.
The victim tended to borrow money from friends, ostensibly for investment purposes, possibly involving Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, promising to double the invested amounts.
Meanwhile, in 2022, while starting a restaurant, the accused's father, a retired head mechanic in Udalguri, provided ₹4,00,000 to support the venture. His father's retirement benefits contained ample funds that facilitated this.
However, the accused's greed led him to covertly transfer a substantial sum of ₹16,00,000 from his father's account to his own, using signed cheques without his father's knowledge. This ill-gotten money was then invested in the interest market and used to upgrade the restaurant.
Aware of the accused's fraudulent acquisition of a large sum, the victim borrowed money from the accused, accumulating a total of ₹90,000 through instalment-based loans for his business endeavours.
During a meeting near Beltola, the victim noticed the accused's Samsung S22 mobile which he requested to borrow for a day. The accused evidently lent the mobile to the victim.
This mobile phone had been gifted to the accused by his girlfriend, which contained intimate pictures of them. The victim gained access to these private photos but initially refrained from addressing the matter.
As the victim's need for funds persisted, he repeatedly asked the accused for more loans.
However, facing financial constraints, the accused declined further lending and insisted on the repayment of the existing borrowed sum.
The victim then resorted to threats, leveraging his knowledge of the intimate photos and the accused's fraudulent fund transfer. The victim further vowed to expose these details to the accused's family if the accused continued to press for repayment.
Under the weight of continuous threats and betrayal, the accused experienced immense mental pressure, even as communication with the victim endured.
In due course, the accused confessed today and contemplated killing the victim due to unrelenting threats and perceived betrayal.
When, on the day preceding the incident, the victim proposed a meeting in a forested area, the accused formulated a plan to eliminate him.
THE BREAKTHROUGH
The investigation began with thorough inquiries into the victim's family members and neighbours. This initial step aimed to gather information regarding any potential enmity or disputes that might have motivated the crime. The meticulous technological analysis provided crucial clues, which were diligently pursued by dedicated police teams. These efforts eventually led to a rented room in Narengi, where the victim's school bag, uniform, and a few books were found.
Continuing to follow the trail of evidence, authorities managed to apprehend the primary suspect on the evening of August 9, 2023.
After sustained interrogation, the suspect, identified as 23-year-old Abhishek Baruah, admitted to his involvement in the crime.
The suspect confessed to having murdered the 9th grader during the first half of the day and further disclosed that he had left the victim's body in a forested area within Amsing Forest, Bonda, Panikhaiti.
Around 11:45 AM on August 9, 2023, a report reached Panikhaiti Out Post concerning the discovery of an unidentified boy's lifeless body within Amsing Forest, Bonda, Panikhaiti.
The scene exhibited sharp injury marks on the victim's throat. Police officials immediately responded, with the Pragjyotishpur Police Station team conducting an initial inquiry.
The victim's body, yet to be identified at that point, underwent an inquest led by an executive magistrate. The body was subsequently sent for a post-mortem examination at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), as detailed in Pragjyotishpur PS UD Case No. 16/2023 dated August 9, 2023.
During the ongoing investigation into the Basistha PS kidnapping-for-ransom case, police teams meticulously reviewed records and materials obtained from the crime scene in Amsing Forest, Bonda.
They presented a photograph of the deceased to the complainant in the kidnapping case, confirming the identity of the boy as the victim.
Further progress was made as authorities arrested the primary suspect, Abhishek Baruah.
Acting on information provided by the suspect, the police successfully recovered the scooter used during the commission of the offence, the clothes worn by the suspect at the time of the crime, and the weapon utilised, which was then identified as a long sword.
RECOVERY AND SEIZURES
During the investigation of the case and subsequent arrest of the prime accused, the police officials seized the following items:
1) Scooty used in the commission of the offence
2) Samsung A22 Mobile Phone of the accused
3) TMB mobile phone used by the accused in giving the ransom demand
4) School bag, School uniform and books of the victim
5) Weapon of offence (long sword)
6) Apparel of the victim
7) Clothes worn by the accused at the time of the commission of the crime
