Guwahati: A complaint by neighbours about a persistent foul smell from a rented flat in Guwahati’s Basisthapur locality culminated in the discovery of a gruesome murder on Sunday night, with police recovering the dismembered body of a 25-year-old woman and her severed head stashed inside a refrigerator, agencies reported.
The victim has been identified as Riya Talukdar Goswami. Investigators said her fingers had also been cut off, pointing to an act of extreme brutality.
Her husband, Ramanujan Goswami, surrendered to police as the probe got underway and has been named the prime accused in the case.
“Goswami is the prime accused and he has confessed to the crime,” Anurag Sharma, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), told ANI.
Based on preliminary findings, police believe the killing was committed roughly 48 hours before the body was discovered. The couple had been married for about six months and were residing together at the flat in Basisthapur, officials said.
The sequence of events began when residents in the building noticed an unpleasant odour emanating from the apartment and alerted authorities. Police entered the premises, recovered Riya’s body and found her severed head packed in a polythene bag inside the refrigerator, according to investigators.
A suspected murder weapon was seized from the flat during the search. Police have not disclosed further details about the nature of the weapon or the exact motive behind the killing.
The body was subsequently sent to Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for a post-mortem examination to ascertain the precise cause of death and collect forensic evidence.
Police said they are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killing, including the timeline of events and any possible precipitating factors. Further legal action will follow once the post-mortem report and other forensic findings are received.