DOIMUKH, Jan 4: In a tragic turn of events, the body of a woman was discovered buried near an under-construction building wall in Yupia-I, Papum Pare District, Arunachal Pradesh, on December 27, 2024. Acting on a verbal report about unusual earthfilling at the site, Doimukh Police Station personnel found a red woolen cloth protruding from the ground, which, upon inspection, covered a female body.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Papum Pare, Taru Gussar, informed the media that the deceased was identified as Janmoni Das, a housekeeping staff member at R&T Powerol, Lekhi, Naharlagun. Her upper body was clothed, but her lower body was unclothed except for socks. A portion of a blue dungaree was tied around her neck, indicating strangulation. Due to the late hour of the discovery, the inquest and post-mortem examination (PME) was conducted the following day at TRIH&MS, Naharlagun, where no apparent external injuries were noted.
Based on a complaint filed by R&T Powerol Manager Smti Duyu Meena, a case (DMK PS Case No. 181/24) was registered under Section 302 IPC, and the investigation was assigned to Sub-Inspector M.K. Rai.
During the investigation, the Call Detail Records (CDR) of the deceased revealed that the last call she received was at 8:33 PM on December 26, 2024, from a number later identified as belonging to Mofijul Hoque, a laborer at the construction site. Co-workers reported that Hoque had been missing since the morning of December 27.
CCTV footage from a nearby building showed Janmoni arriving at the site around 8:30 PM in a tempo. She was received by two men, identified as Mofijul Hoque (39), originally from Bhandara, Bongaigaon District, Assam, and Rahul Amin from Laluk. Rahul Amin reportedly paid the tempo fare for Hoque.
Rahul Amin was apprehended on December 30, 2024, and placed in police custody for four days. During interrogation, he disclosed that Hoque had arranged for the victim’s visit and asked him to pay the tempo fare.
Using technical assistance, investigators tracked Hoque’s new phone number to Bengaluru, Karnataka. A police team led by SDPO Doimukh located him in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, under the jurisdiction of Nallur Police Station. With the help of local authorities, Hoque was arrested on January 3, 2025, at 2:15 AM.
Hoque had started working as a security guard at a residential complex in Hosur on January 1, 2025, after fleeing from Arunachal Pradesh. His transit remand was obtained from the Judicial Magistrate in Hosur for further investigation.
SP Taru Gussar revealed that Mofijul Hoque has confessed to the crime, stating that he had a love interest with the deceased. However, he claimed to have discovered that she was involved with another man, which he cited as the motive for his actions.
The police are awaiting PME and forensic lab reports, which may lead to additional charges, including sexual assault. Investigations are ongoing to determine if others were involved in the crime or if there were any additional motives. Updates will be provided as the investigation progresses,added SP.
