Anan Margherita rape case accused injured in Police firing

Tinsukia: A man Anan Tanti, who was arrested for raping and murdering a minor girl, was shot dead by the police in Assam’s Tinsukia district on Thursday when he allegedly tried to escape.

The accused, Anan Tanti alias Sawapan, who was absconding, was arrested by a team of Tinsukia police led by Superintendent of Police Abhijeet Gaurav from Deomali in Arunachal Pradesh and brought to Margherita when the incident took place.
Confirming the development, SP Gaurav said, “When a police team was bringing him back to Tinsukia, he tried to escape from custody. The police asked him to stop but he refused. There was no option left. The police opened fire on him.

He said he was seriously injured and was rushed to a nearby hospital.
The incident has sparked outrage among the people, with residents and student organizations blocking the road in Segunbari in Margherita town on Thursday. The protesters are demanding the immediate arrest of the accused, who they claim should be hanged.
A police source said that on May 1, the accused (husband and wife) and the victim’s family (mother and her two daughters), who knew each other, had gone to watch a Bihu program together, after which they visited the victim’s residence. But fell asleep. The accused while his mother and elder sister went back home.
Later, when her younger daughter did not reach home, the victim’s mother went to her house to inquire about her. Sources said the accused’s wife told him that he left the child halfway to their house after which they left and started searching for the girl.
On Wednesday, the victim’s mother lodged an FIR at the Margherita police station, based on which the police registered a case.

Following a report of a disturbance at the suspect’s residence, a police team led by the OC of Margherita police station reached the spot. “Upon enquiry, the accused’s wife led the police to the victim’s body, which was dumped inside a protective tank, in the rented premises behind the hostel where they were staying.”
“The wife of the accused has been arrested and the body has been recovered from the septic tank and sent for medical examination,” the police said. “We suspect that this is a case of rape and murder. The wife of the accused is not cooperating with the police during the investigation due to which we are yet to know what actually happened.