Guwahati: Ramanuj Goswami, the 30 year old man accused of killing and beheading his wife Riya Talukdar in Guwahati earlier this month, died on Monday after allegedly jumping from a moving police vehicle while he was being taken for a medical examination, police said.
The incident took place in the early hours of September 14 near Narakasur Pahar as Goswami was being taken from the Hatigaon area towards Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). According to police, he allegedly attacked members of the escort team before jumping from the moving vehicle and falling into a gorge.
Goswami sustained severe injuries in the fall. Police rescued him and rushed him to GMCH, where doctors declared him dead, according to officials.
His death came just as the seven day period of police custody in the murder case was ending. He was expected to be produced before a court on Monday.
What happened to Riya Talukdar?
The case had come to light on September 6, three days after the alleged murder.
Police were alerted after neighbours and family members raised concerns that they had not seen the couple for around two days and reported a foul smell coming from their flat in Anjali Griha, Basisthapur, in Guwahati’s Beltola area.
When police entered the residence, they found the partially decomposed body of 25 year old Riya Talukdar with her head severed. Investigators later recovered her severed head from inside a refrigerator, where it had allegedly been kept in a polythene bag. Police also said some of her fingers had been cut off.
A sharp edged weapon, described in reports as a dao or machete, was also seized during the investigation. The body and severed head were sent for post mortem examination.
Goswami surrendered days after the killing
Goswami, who is originally from Gauripur in Assam’s Dhubri district and worked as a cab driver, was not at the flat when police arrived.
He surrendered before Hatigaon police on September 6 and was subsequently arrested in connection with the case. Police said he confessed to killing his wife and told investigators that an argument over an alleged relationship involving Riya had preceded the attack.
The allegation that Riya was involved in an extramarital relationship has not been independently established and was part of Goswami’s account to police. Investigators had been questioning him to establish the motive and reconstruct the sequence of events.
Goswami and Riya had married in Guwahati on September 22, 2025, less than a year before the killing. Riya was a native of Guwahati, while Goswami belonged to Gauripur in Dhubri district.
Chilling statements after his arrest
The case drew further attention after Goswami made a series of statements while being taken to court and for medical examinations.
At one point, he reportedly told reporters that he had no regret or apology for killing his wife and threatened to kill a man he referred to as her “sugar daddy” after completing his jail term. He did not identify the person he was referring to.
Days later, however, his tone appeared to change.
While being taken to the couple’s residence for further investigation, Goswami reportedly folded his hands and said that what he had done was wrong, asking people not to repeat his actions. Police were meanwhile continuing to collect evidence from the flat.
Police recreate crime scene, seize refrigerator
As part of the investigation, police took Goswami back to the flat on September 9 to recreate the alleged sequence of events.
Investigators also seized the refrigerator in which the severed head was allegedly kept. Clothes believed to have been worn by Goswami and two mobile phones were sent for forensic examination, according to reports.
The evidence was being examined to establish the circumstances surrounding the killing and corroborate the account given by the accused.
Questions now surround death in police custody
Goswami’s death has now brought the murder investigation to an abrupt end from the accused’s side, but it also raises questions about how he managed to jump from a moving police vehicle while in custody.
Police have said that Goswami suddenly attacked the personnel accompanying him and jumped from the vehicle near Narakasur Pahar. Other reports have described the incident as an apparent attempt to flee custody.
The precise circumstances surrounding the fall and the death will therefore be important to establish through the authorities inquiry. Reports have also differed in some details about the immediate circumstances of the incident, while police have maintained that Goswami died after suffering serious injuries in the fall.
With Goswami now dead, investigators will have to establish the remaining facts of the case through forensic evidence, witness accounts and other material already collected during the probe.
For now, the central allegations remain those made in the murder investigation that Riya Talukdar was killed at the couple’s Guwahati residence on September 3 and that her husband was responsible. Goswami’s death means the criminal proceedings against him cannot proceed to a trial where those allegations could have been tested in court.
ALSO READ: Gurugram Road Rage Caught On Camera: Woman Biker Hit By Car, Driver Flees