Marriage disputes, personal conflicts and relationship allegations feature in some of India's murder cases.
The NCRB's Crime in India 2024 report recorded 27,049 murders, with disputes among the leading recorded motives. It also separately listed love affairs and illicit relationships among recorded motives.
Against this backdrop, a case in Guwahati has raised questions after a woman was found dead inside her home.
Her husband later approached the police.
What happened inside the flat, and what did investigators find?
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What Happened In Guwahati?
The incident took place in Basisthapur in Guwahati, Assam, where 25-year-old Riya Talukdar Goswami was found dead inside the flat where she lived with her husband, Ramanujan Goswami.
According to police, the couple had been married for around six months.
The case came to light after neighbours noticed a foul smell coming from the apartment. They also told police that they had not seen the couple for about two days and that their phones were switched off.
Police reached the flat on Sunday, 6 September, and broke open the lock.
Inside, they found Riya's partially decomposed body. Investigators also found that her head had been severed and was allegedly kept inside a polythene bag in the refrigerator. Her fingers were also reportedly cut.
The details emerged as investigators began examining the flat and reconstructing the sequence of events.
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Who Is The Prime Suspect?
Riya's husband was not at the apartment when police arrived.
According to NDTV, neighbours told police that they had last seen him on Friday. Police subsequently began looking for him.
Ramanujan later surrendered before police on Sunday night and was arrested.
The Guwahati Police reported that ADCP (East) Anurag Sharma identified him as the prime accused. The report also said he confessed to the crime. However, such a confession remains part of the investigation and must be tested against the physical and other evidence collected by investigators.
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What Was The Motive?
Police have not yet confirmed the motive behind the woman's killing.
Investigators are questioning the accused and examining the evidence recovered from the flat as part of the ongoing investigation.
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What Evidence Did Police Recover?
Investigators recovered a weapon from the apartment that is suspected to have been used in the crime, according to The Times of India.
The victim's body and severed head were sent to Guwahati Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examination.
A senior police official said that preliminary investigation suggested the murder took place around 48 hours before the body was discovered.
Police are also examining the sequence of events and whether anyone else could have been involved. NDTV reported that investigators would verify the accused's statement against the evidence gathered during the probe.
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What Is The Legal Action Now?
Ramanujan Goswami has been arrested and remains an accused at the investigation stage. A court will ultimately determine guilt based on admissible evidence.
Under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which replaced the IPC's murder provision, a person convicted of murder can face death or imprisonment for life, along with a fine.
The immediate focus in the Guwahati case will therefore be on the investigation, forensic findings, post-mortem report and evidence linking the accused to the killing.
For now, police have established the discovery of Riya's body, the arrest of her husband after his surrender and the recovery of evidence from the flat. The exact circumstances and motive behind the murder remain under investigation.
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TL;DR | News At a Glance
What happened?
A 25-year-old woman, Riya Talukdar Goswami, was found murdered inside her flat in Guwahati's Basisthapur area.
When was she found?
Police recovered her body on Sunday night, 6 September 2026, after neighbours reported a foul smell.
Who was arrested?
Her husband, Ramanujan Goswami, surrendered before police and was arrested. Police identified him as the prime accused.
What did the police find?
Riya's body was found inside the flat, while her severed head was allegedly found inside a polythene bag in the refrigerator. Police also reported that her fingers had been cut.
Why did the murder happen?
Police have not yet disclosed a confirmed motive.
What happens next?
Police are examining forensic evidence, the accused's statement and other evidence. The body has been sent for post-mortem.
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