Assam: 25-Year-Old Married Woman Murdered in Guwahati Flat, Severed Head Found in Refrigerator; Husband Surrenders

Guwahati: A 25-year-old married woman was murdered, with her severed head found packed in a polythene bag inside a refrigerator at a flat in Assam's Basisthapur area in Guwahati, officials said on Monday. 

The victim has been identified as Riya Talukdar Goswami. Investigators described the killing as extremely brutal, noting that the killer had allegedly severed her head, stored it in a refrigerator inside a polythene bag, and cut off her fingers.

Speaking to ANI, Anurag Sharma, ADCP (East) of Guwahati Police Commissionerate, confirmed that the prime accused in the incident, Riya's husband, Ramanujan Goswami, has surrendered before the police and confessed to the crime. 

A senior police official stated that preliminary investigations suggest the crime occurred approximately 48 hours before the discovery. 

According to reports, Riya and Ramanujan had married around six months ago and were residing together in the flat. 

Additionally, the police recovered the victim's body on Sunday night from the apartment after neighbours alerted authorities regarding a foul smell emanating from the flat. 

Investigating teams also seized a weapon from the premises, which is suspected to have been used in the crime.

The body was subsequently sent to Guwahati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH) for a post-mortem examination. 

In a separate incident, Assam Police seized 80,000 Yaba tablets valued at Rs 16 crore in Cachar district and apprehended one person, officials said on August 31.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Cachar district, Partha Protim Das, stated that the recovery was made as part of a major anti-narcotics operation. 

Based on specific intelligence inputs, police intercepted a vehicle with registration number AS-01-GC-7852 at Dolu, Moinagarh, under the jurisdiction of the Borkhola police station. 

During the inspection, police recovered 80,000 Yaba tablets concealed in a secret chamber of the vehicle. Later, the police apprehended 25-year-old accused Somsul Hussain Laskar.  

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma lauded the successful operation by Cachar Police by referring to the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme. In a post on X, CM Sarma wrote: “Jack and Jill went up the hill, thinking they'd make a quick ₹16 cr deal. But @cacharpolice had other plans...80,000 Yaba tablets seized from a secret chamber in a vehicle. One accused apprehended; huge haul off the streets.”