Guwahati: At least five persons have been arrested and the hunt is on for another accused in the alleged 2019 human sacrifice case in Assam in which the headless body of a woman was found on the Kamakhya temple premises in Guwahati. On June 19, 2019, the police were informed about the beheaded body, which had been found wrapped in a blanket on the stairs of the Joy Durga Mandir. The police soon launched an investigation, but the case did not see much progress initially as the identity of the victim was not known. Even after a man approached the police, and identified the body as that of his 64-year-old missing mother, the case lacked evidence, according to the Assam Police, which has now claimed to have cracked the case after a prolonged investigation running for almost four years.
In a press statement issued by Guwahati Commissioner of Police Diganta Borah, deceased Santi Saw's son had approached the police after knowing about the recovery of the body through media reports. He identified the body as that of his mother from her clothes and a tattoo, and informed the police that she had gone to the Kamakhya temple on the occasion of the Ambubachi Mela in early June 2019, and had been missing since. The woman had come from West Bengal for the pilgrimage, along with a sadhu and two more women, according to the police.
How The Special Team Joined The Dots
According to the police, the case was recently reviewed by a special team to identify the accused. After analysing past evidence and clues, the team reached Bengal's Cooch Behar and searched the house of one Kailash Barman on March 18, 2023, from where the victim’s mobile phone, clothes, and an ID proof (Aadhaar card) were recovered. Barman reportedly told the police during investigation that the items were left at his place by one 'Baba', Mata Prasad Pandey (50), in June 2019.
What Happened On The Night Of The Killing
The police arrested Mata Prasad Pandey alias Mateswari Giri from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, on March 25 this year. During questioning, the police said, he told them that on the intervening night of June 18 and June 19 in 2019, a puja was performed at 'Bhootnath', a cremation ground in the foothills of Neelachal Hills where the Kamakhya temple is located. Tantriks and sadhus are known to stay in the area and perform pujas.
Pandey reportedly told the police at least 12 people, including the victim, had taken part in the puja. According to the police, when the puja got over after midnight, everyone went to the Kamakhya temple. They first went to the cremation ground near Bagala Mandir, and from there they took Santi to the Joy Durga Mandir and performed another puja there, the police said.
Pandey told the police that all of them consumed alcohol too, and were in an inebriated state. During the puja, they made Santi lie down on a blanket. A few others then held her hands and legs, and someone allegedly beheaded her as an act of "sacrifice".
Based on this statement, and further investigation, the police arrested Suresh Paswan (56), Pradeep Pathak alias Dinesh or Raju (52) on April 1, 2023, and two more people, Kanu Acharjee alias Kanu Tantrik (62), and Bhaiyaram Maoriya alias Raju Baba (60).
A Murder Well Planned
The puja after which the murder took place allegedly sponsored by Pradeep Pathak of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. According to details shared by the police, he had paid Rs 10,000 to each person taking part in the puja held in the name of Pathak's younger brother, a Naga sadhu who died in 2008 on the same date — June 18.
Pathak had another sadhu, who is yet to be identified and arrested, with him and they had planned the murder well in advance, the police statement said, adding that they had also purchased the 'dao', the weapon used in the crime, earlier in the day. They also identified the place where the 'sacrifice' would be carried out.
Pathak and his accomplice sadhu allegedly contacted the sadhu who came from Bengal along with the victim and planned the murder.
According to the police, the group first a puja at Bhootnath, where everyone consumed alcohol and also made the woman drink . She was said to be wearing a saffron saree at the time. The group then went to the Kamakhya cremation ground to offer another puja, and then to the Joy Durga Mandir for a third puja.
At the Joy Durga Mandir, Santi was made to change her saree and wear a white one, following which she was made to lie down on the blanket and was beheaded. The police said the head of the victim was disposed of in the Brahmaputra river.
While Pandey and Pathak were arrested from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, respectively, the three others — Suresh Paswan, Kanu Acharjee alias Kanu Tantrik and Bhaiyaram Maoreya alias Raju Baba — were picked up from Bhootnath.
They police have also recovered the clothes and railway tickets of the victim woman, and seized the mobile phones of all five accused. A hunt is on to arrest the remaining accused in the case.