Khanapara woman murder: Prime accused arrested, machete used in crime seized

Police on Monday, November 9 arrested the prime accused in the murder of a woman whose body was found stuffed inside a sack near Ganesh Mandir in Guwahati’s Khanapara area on November 7. The police also recovered the machete allegedly used in the crime and seized the vehicle suspected to have been used to abduct the victim.

The accused, identified as Pradip Taye, a driver originally from Dhemaji, was arrested by Basistha Police in connection with the murder of Jeena Baishya.

According to investigators, Taye and Baishya had been in an extramarital relationship for nearly 10 years. Police said tensions between their respective families over the relationship had led to repeated disputes, following which Taye allegedly decided to kill her.

Taye worked as a driver in Khanapara and lived as a tenant on the same premises where Baishya resided. Investigators suspect that he planned the murder and carried it out after taking her on a drive in his commercial passenger vehicle.

On the day of the incident, Taye allegedly drove Baishya around for several hours. During the outing, he reportedly purchased a new machete from the Beltola area and concealed it inside the vehicle.

At around 8 pm, he allegedly took her to an isolated location near Ganesh Mandir in Khanapara. Police suspect that he attacked her with the machete inside the vehicle, killing her before dumping her body in a nearby ditch.

Investigators said the accused subsequently attempted to avoid suspicion by behaving normally. The absence of the victim's mobile phone at the time of the incident also meant that investigators initially had limited digital evidence to trace her movements.

The murder came to light on Saturday, November 7, after local residents near Ganesh Mandir noticed a pair of legs protruding from a sack and alerted the police.

A team from Dispur Police reached the spot, while Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Anurag Sharma also visited the crime scene. At the time, the victim's identity and gender had not been established. However, preliminary examination indicated that the person had been murdered before the body was dumped at the location.

Further investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events and collect additional evidence in the case.