GUWAHATI: It took close to 40 hours of extensive search, constant tracking of
cellular signals and deployment of women cops in civil dress as decoys to lure 21-year-old
Zakir Hussain, the prime accused in the rape and murder of a class V student at Batardaba in Nagaon district and known to have great weakness for women, to come out of his hiding.
A
history-sheeter, Zakir, was finally tracked down on Sunday evening at
Itapara locality in Nagaon town, about 40 km from his home at Lalung Gaon in Batadraba, when he tried to call one of his friends. The signal from Zakir’s mobile phone was soon picked up and traced to his friend’s place at nearby Raha. The friend was immediately picked up, who gave away the location of Zakir’s hiding place.
Zakir made a last ditch attempt to escape as he sprinted out from the house of his relative at Itapara but was nabbed. Police have also picked up his father,
Abdur Rezak, mother and brother.
A police source said that Zakir has confessed to committing the crime. According to the source, Zakir allegedly raped the girl at her home in front of two minor boys who stood guard outside the house. The other members of her family were out on work. The trio was leaving the place after committing the crime when the girl threatened to tell it all to her brother and then Zakir returned with kerosene, poured it over the girl and set her on fire.
The girl was rushed to
Nagaon civil hospital where doctors reported that she had received 90% burnt injuries and needed to be taken to Guwahati. She died on way early Saturday morning as she being brought to Guwahati Medical College and Hospital here.
People across the state are demanding the toughest punishments, like death sentence, for the accused. Inside the
legislative assembly too, the law makers are pressing the government for adopting new laws to deal with convicted rapists even more firmly. The girl’s brother, who did not want to be named, also demanded that killers of her sister get nothing short of a death sentence.
Police are saying that they are doing everything to put up a strong case against the accused. “The victim has named all the three accused in her dying declaration and this piece of evidence is very strong. Police are taking all measures to ensure that they get the highest quantum of punishment in the court of law,” Nagaon police superintendent Shankar Raimedhi said. The two minors have already been arrested on the evening of the crime and they too have named Zakir.
Local people are now saying that Zakir’s family is a known trouble maker in the area and he along with his father had attempted to molest a girl long back. Zakir’s brother was also lynched by people for allegedly raping a girl some years back. Police records also show that Zakir was in jail in 2014 in connection with a burglary case.
