india

Updated: Dec 05, 2018 08:16 IST

A 45-year-old man was hacked to death and his 18-year-old daughter raped in the Sivasagar district of Upper Assam, police said. The prime suspect in the case, who fled assuming that the rape victim had also died, has been arrested by the police. He had returned to the victim’s house in the morning and mingled with the visitors, according to the police.

The incident happened late on Monday night.

According to Bolin Deori, Additional Superintendent of Police, Sivasagar, the victim, was a small farmer who lived in the middle of a paddy field, away from the rest of the village, with his daughter and one of his two sons. At the time of the multiple crimes, the son was away visiting a relative.

“The accused disconnected the power supply of the house and entered from the back door,” Deori said.

He picked up an axe, and killed the 45-year-old man who was asleep.

“There were as many as four deep cuts on the body of the deceased. His dead body was found on the bed,” Deori said.

After the murder, the accused raped the 18-year-old daughter, and attacked her with a bamboo stick.

“She, too, was badly injured, and fainted,” Deori said. “The suspect assumed she had died,” he added.

It was on Tuesday morning that the rape survivor reported to the incident to the neighbours.

The prime suspect, Dadu Hussain (32), belongs to the same village and sells fish for a living.

“In the morning, along with other villagers, he, too came to the victims house and was hanging out there,” said Deori. “It was from the testimony of the rape victim that we identified him as the prime suspect,” he said.

Hussain was apprehended next to the police station on Tuesday, where he had come with other villagers.