Guwahati Homestay Death: Family Alleges Gang-Rape, Boyfriend Arrested

A 22-year-old student was found dead at a homestay in Garal, on the outskirts of Guwahati, and her family has alleged that she was gang-raped and tortured before being killed. Police have arrested her 26-year-old boyfriend in connection with the case.

The woman's father told reporters that she left home around 5 pm on Friday, saying she was going out to eat with friends. Around 10 pm, she called her mother to say she would stay at the university hostel with a friend because it was late.

He said that at about 2 am, she phoned her mother again and said she had been badly beaten. The call was then disconnected. He also claimed that she was tied up with ropes and that the marks on her body indicated she was tortured before being murdered.

On Saturday, the father said, his daughter had called her mother in the middle of the night to say, "They will kill me," before her phone was probably snatched.

The arrested boyfriend, Asif Ali, told investigators that she died by suicide. Guwahati West Deputy Commissioner of Police Bolin Deori said the claim was not being accepted. "We don't believe his version. We need to continue our investigation," he said, adding that the inquiry was at a preliminary stage and the death was suspected to be a murder.

Deori said no blood was found on the body or the floor, and that the investigation was ongoing. Police were alerted by a local health facility after the woman was brought there unconscious. She was referred to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

The homestay owner, caretakers and other staff are being questioned as part of the probe.