Hojai Police Arrests Four In Murder Case, Exhumes Body

Four individuals have been arrested in connection with the murder of Vijay Kumar Chouhan, a resident of Hojai, Assam. The arrests were made in a Hojai police station case numbered 362/24, and the accused have confessed to the crime, police said.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Shyamal Bathori, Krishna Rai alias Rocky, Montu Lal Khercha, and Robin Langthasa.

The police have confirmed that the body of Vijay Kumar Chouhan was recovered from a remote area near the Dayangmukh Police Station in the Dima Hasao district. His remains were found buried in a pit, with a bike that he had been using also recovered from the scene. The murder weapon used in the crime was also retrieved from the location.

The Hojai Police, under the leadership of District Additional Superintendent of Police Rupam Bordoloi, conducted a thorough investigation that led to the arrest of the four suspects. They were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court at Srimanta Sankardev Nagar, with the possibility of police remand for additional investigation.

ASP Bordoloi said, “On December 8, we received a kidnapping complaint with the victim stating that they received ransom calls. We immediately began investigations. An FIR was also registered numbered Hojai PS case 362/24. We managed to detain the caller from Kaki and came to know that the victim, Vijay Kumar Chauhan, was lured to Kheroni on December 5 and held captive there. Two others involved in the crime—Shyamal Bathori and Montu Lal Khercha—along with the ransom caller Krishna Rai.”

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“According to their confession, Shyamal Bathori and Montu Lal Khercha murdered the victim on December 6, with Krishna Rai already left to make the ransom calls. Yesterday at around 7-8 pm we exhumed the body from a pit. They led us to the location. The accused had demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh,” he added.

The officer mentioned that the murder may have been premeditated as one of the accused, Bathori, knew the victim from before. “We think that they already planned to kill him even with or without the ransom due to one of them knowing the victim from before. We still have to investigate the extent of Krishna Rai’s involvement in the crime. We have also recovered the murder weapon as well as the victim’s motorcycle from the scene,” ASP Bordoloi said.

Asked about the fourth individual arrested in the case, the police officer said, “Robin Langthasa, the fourth individual arrested in the case, had given shelter to Krishna Rai. We have also arrested him in connection with the matter.”

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