Electronic footprint of absconding murder accused found: Assam DGP  

Guwahati, August 11

Contractor and BJP leader Sunil Gogoi, who was earlier presumed beheaded, is alive, with his ‘electronic footprint’ detected, a top Assam Police official claimed on Sunday.

Gogoi was declared absconder for the alleged murder of his family mason, the official said.

He is outside the state and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is probing the matter, has collected evidence about his presence, the Director General of Police (DGP), G P Singh, said.

Gogoi was earlier presumed beheaded, with his family also performing the last rites of the charred remains of a headless body found near their residence at Sapatia Chetia village in Dhakuakhana of Lakhimpur district in June.

But a DNA report of the headless and charred body later revealed that it was not of Gogoi but of Jahangir Hosain, a mason working for the family, leading police to declare Gogoi an absconder in the alleged murder case of the mason.

“Sunil Gogoi is alive. We have detected his electronic footprint. But as he has been changing his mobile phone, we have not been able to find his exact location,” Singh claimed.

He said the CID has collected evidence about Gogoi, which he has also seen.

“We are trying to locate him. He is outside the state,” Singh added.

The DGP had earlier said initial investigation indicates financial gain through insurance claim behind the hatching of the plan to pass off Hosain’s body as that of Gogoi’s, with the involvement of people close to the contractor.

Gogoi was the BJP Kisan Morcha Dhakuakhana District Committee vice-president and was involved with Jal Jeevan Mission as a contractor.

He had alleged corruption in the Public Health Engineering Department of Lakhimpur, following which an Executive Engineer was arrested by the Chief Minister’s Vigilance & Anti-Corruption (V&AC) wing.

Gogoi’s family members have been questioned in the case multiple times.