Assam: Man, accused of rape and murder, lynched by mob after escape from court
North Lakhimpur, Aug 18: A 45-year-old man, who escaped from court two days back and was accused of rape and murder, was lynched by a mob on Thursday in Assam's Lakhimpur district, police said.
Gerjai Barua alias Raju Barua, who the police identified as a dreaded criminal, was hiding near a stream in Kilakili village in Ghilamar police station area when some locals nabbed him during the early hours, a police officer said.
They informed the police, which took some time to reach the area due to inaccessibility. By that time, more villagers gathered and they started thrashing Barua.
When police reached, the man was found to be severely injured, and two police personnel also received injuries while trying to rescue him from the irate mob, the officer said.
"We took him to Dhakuakhana Civil Hospital, where doctors pronounced him brought dead. The two policemen have been sent to North Lakhimpur town for better treatment," he added.
Dozens of cases related to theft, dacoity, murder, rape and other crimes were registered against him in different police stations during the last 15 years, police said.
Barua along with two other accused had fled from the toilet of the Dhakuakhana Judicial Magistrate's Court on Tuesday and police were on lookout to apprehend him again.
Out of the two other criminals, one was arrested on the same day, while the police had launched a manhunt to nab the other.
As soon as the news of Barua's death spread, a large crowd gathered at Dhakuakhana Civil Hospital to witness his body. A huge contingent of police has been deployed to control the crowd and prevent any untoward situation, an official said.
On January 22, he had escaped with handcuffs from the Covid-19 ward of a hospital in North Lakhimpur, but was rearrested after two days. He was also injured in an encounter in September last year.
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Goa nightclub fire: Owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra fled to Phuket after tragedy, say police
Panaji (PTI): Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, the main accused and owners of the Goa nightclub where a massive blaze claimed 25 lives, fled to Phuket hours after the tragedy, Goa Police said on Monday.
"Goa Police have taken further steps to coordinate with the Interpol Division of the CBI to apprehend both Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra at the earliest," a senior police officer said.
A massive fire at the nightclub, some 25 kilometres away from Panaji, on late Saturday night killed 25 persons. The deceased comprised 20 employees of the nightclub and five tourists, including four from Delhi. Five injured people were undergoing treatment at the government-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
After registering an FIR against them, a Look Out Circular was issued against them by December 7 by the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) at the request of the Goa Police.
The Bureau of Immigration at Mumbai was contacted, and it was found that both the accused had taken the 6E 1073 flight to Phuket at 5.30 am on December 7, immediately after the fire incident, which occurred around midnight, the officer said.
READ ALSO: Goa nightclub fire: Owner Saurabh Luthra expresses grief, assures management support
He said the Goa Police had immediately dispatched a team to Delhi to conduct raids on the addresses of the accused Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra.
"Since they were not available, a notice under the appropriate sections of law was pasted on the gate of their house. This shows their intent to avoid the police investigation", he said.
Goa Police have obtained transit remand of Bharat Kohli, an employee of the club, and are bringing him to Goa.
He also said that the postmortem on all 25 deceased has been completed and bodies handed over to their families.
