Look out notice issued against IAS officer Talo Potom in alleged suicide case of 19-year-old

Arunachal Police on October 25 issued a Look Out Notice against senior IAS officer Talo Potom, who is currently posted as Special Under Secretary (PWD), New Delhi, in connection with the alleged suicide of 19-year-old Gomchu Yekar. Potom remains absconding even as law enforcement agencies intensify their efforts to trace his whereabouts.

The Nirjuli Police Station has registered a case — NRJ PS Case No. 92/2025 U/S 108/271/272/3(5) of BNS 2023, dated October 25, 2023 — in which Potom is a prime accused. Police have directed all Officers-in-Charge and Station House Officers (OCs/SHOs) across India to remain vigilant and immediately inform Nirjuli Police if Potom is located or apprehended.

According to police sources, teams recently visited Potom’s residence using mobile phone tracking data, but the officer was not found. Investigators discovered that his registered mobile number was being used by a house help, who revealed that Potom had taken his own phone and replaced the SIM card before leaving his residence.

The case took a grim turn after a purported suicide note surfaced, in which the deceased allegedly accused IAS officer Talo Potom and RWD Executive Engineer Likwang Lowang of sexual exploitation and mental harassment, claiming that their actions drove him to take his life.

Public anger has mounted following these revelations. The All Tagin Students’ Union (ATSU), led by General Secretary Vijay Domin, joined the victim’s family in demanding Potom’s immediate arrest. They issued a one-day ultimatum to the state government, warning that the family would remove Yekar’s body from the TRIHMS mortuary and bury it inside Potom’s house if the authorities failed to act.

Speaking to the media outside the TRIHMS mortuary, Domin alleged that the deceased had contracted HIV/AIDS from the accused individuals and urged other possible victims of exploitation to undergo testing. He also reaffirmed that Yekar’s HIV-positive status had been medically confirmed.

As of now, police have yet to announce any breakthrough in locating the absconding IAS officer. The situation remains tense in Itanagar and surrounding areas, with widespread demands for justice and accountability from the victim’s family, student bodies, and civil society groups.