Assam: Woman confesses to husband’s murder, body found buried in backyard

A 38-year-old woman has been arrested by Guwahati Police for allegedly murdering her husband and burying his body within their residential compound in Joymati Nagar, Pandu.

The accused, Rahima Khatun, was taken into custody on Sunday after she confessed to killing her husband, Sabiyal Rahman (40)—a local scrap dealer—following a violent altercation on June 26. The couple had been married for 15 years and were parents to two children.

According to police sources, Rahima fatally assaulted her husband during a domestic dispute. In a state of panic, she allegedly dug a five-foot-deep pit inside their property and buried his body in an attempt to conceal the crime.

Suspicion among neighbours began to mount after Rahman was not seen for several days. Initially, Rahima claimed he had gone to Kerala for work. Later, she changed her narrative, saying he had fallen ill and was hospitalized. The inconsistencies prompted Rahman's brother to file a missing person complaint at Jalukbari Police Station on July 12.

Shockingly, Rahima appeared at the police station the very next day and voluntarily confessed to the murder. During interrogation, she claimed her husband was intoxicated at the time of the incident and sustained fatal injuries during the scuffle.

A police team, accompanied by forensic experts and a magistrate, exhumed Rahman’s decomposed body from the compound on Sunday.

Speaking to the media, West Guwahati Deputy Commissioner of Police Padmanav Baruah revealed that investigators are looking into the possibility of other individuals being involved in the crime. “It is unlikely that a single person could dig such a large pit unaided. We are exploring the angle of additional accomplices,” he said.