Mother of Mohammad Asif Ali says her son should be punished if found guilty in the death of his 22-year-old girlfriend at a Guwahati homestay.
Police are investigating the death as suspected murder, rejecting Asif’s reported claim that the woman died by suicide.
The woman’s father has alleged sexual assault and torture, while police say the investigation is at a preliminary stage.
The mother of Mohammad Asif Ali, who was arrested after the mysterious death of his girlfriend at a homestay on the outskirts of Guwahati, has said her son should be punished if he is found guilty, NDTV reported. She said Asif had been unwell on Friday and left home in the evening, telling her he would return.
The next morning, she learnt that her son had been arrested in connection with the death of the 22-year-old Gauhati University student.
Police Suspect Murder, Probe Underway
The woman was staying with Asif at a homestay in Garal on the outskirts of Guwahati when she was found critically ill. She was taken to a nearby health facility and later shifted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
Asif reportedly told police that the woman had died by suicide. Police, however, have said they are investigating the death as a suspected murder.
“We don't believe his version. We need to continue our investigation,” Guwahati West Deputy Commissioner of Police Bolin Deori told NDTV.
Deori said the inquiry was at a preliminary stage and that police suspected the case to be “a kind of murder”. He also said investigators had not found blood on the body or the floor.
The woman's father has alleged that she was gang-raped before being killed. He said marks on her body indicated that she had been tortured before her death. These allegations are part of the ongoing investigation.
According to the woman's father, she made a distress call to her mother at around 2 am, saying she was being assaulted and was having difficulty breathing. Deori said the woman was crying during the call and told her mother, “They will kill me, Mom.”
The family then began searching for her while repeatedly calling her phone.
‘If My Son Is Guilty, He Should Be Punished’
Asif's family comes from a background of daily-wage labour. He works as a painter and also takes up work through the ride-hailing platform Rapido.
His father said Asif and the woman had been in a relationship for around five years. He claimed that Asif took her to the hospital and helped get her admitted with the assistance of security personnel.
Asif's mother was aware of the relationship but said she had opposed it because the woman was Hindu and their families followed different religions. She said the woman had visited their home once during Eid.
The mother said Asif had been unwell on Friday and spent much of the afternoon sleeping.
“Later, he left the house. When I asked him where he was going, he said he would be back, but he never returned,” she said.
She also said the family wanted to know whether the woman had called her mother to tell her that she was being tortured.
“If my son is guilty, he should be punished,” she said.
Police have not yet publicly established how the woman died, and the investigation remains underway.
