Guwahati, Sep 14 (IANS) : Ramanuj Goswami, the prime accused in the sensational murder of his wife Riya Talukdar in Guwahati, had no bullet injuries on his body, stated authorities of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
Goswami died in the early hours of Monday after allegedly jumping from Narakasur Hills while being taken by police to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for a blood test, police said.
The incident occurred at around 3 a.m. when Goswami was being taken from the Hatigaon area towards GMCH through Kahilipara.
According to police, he allegedly jumped from the police vehicle near Narakasur Hills in an attempt to escape custody and sustained fatal injuries in the fall. Police have clarified that he was not shot and that his death was caused by injuries sustained after the fall.
Goswami was subsequently taken to GMCH, where hospital authorities said he was brought dead.
GMCH Superintendent Dr Debjit Choudhury said Goswami was brought to the casualty ward by police at 3:41 a.m. as a road traffic accident victim.
“Today at dawn, at 03:41 a.m., a victim of a road traffic accident, named Ramanuj Goswami, was admitted to the casualty ward of GMCH by the police. He was brought dead,” Choudhury said.
He added that immediate tests, including an ECG, were carried out according to protocol, while further details would be available only after a detailed post-mortem examination.
The GMCH authorities also said the preliminary examination found no bullet wound on Goswami’s body, contradicting some initial reports and social-media claims that he had been killed in police firing.
Choudhury said the body had several tattoos, although their inscriptions were not clearly readable, and was subsequently kept in the GMCH morgue for post-mortem.
Goswami was arrested in connection with the murder of his 25-year-old wife, Riya Talukdar, whose body was recovered from the couple’s residence in Guwahati’s Basisthapur area earlier this month.
Police had alleged that Riya was killed following an argument and that Goswami subsequently severed her head and kept it inside a refrigerator.
The case came to light after neighbours noticed a foul smell from the locked apartment and alerted police.
Goswami had surrendered before police after the murder and was subsequently taken into custody. During the investigation, police recreated the crime scene and seized the refrigerator, weapons, clothes and mobile phones for forensic examination.
The accused had also made contradictory statements in public while in police custody. At one point, he reportedly claimed he had “no regret, no apology” and threatened to kill a man he referred to as his wife’s “sugar daddy” if he was released from prison.
Days later, he expressed remorse and said that nobody should repeat what he had done.
With Goswami’s death, the circumstances surrounding his alleged escape attempt and fatal fall have now emerged as a fresh line of inquiry. The post-mortem examination is expected to establish the precise cause and nature of the injuries.
Police are also expected to examine the circumstances in which Goswami allegedly managed to jump from custody while being transported for a medical examination.
