Pregnant College Student Found Dead in Septic Tank, Faith Healer Arrested

Decomposed body of a 21-year-old first-semester student from Nandanath Saikia College in Titabor was discovered late Sunday night inside a septic tank at a local business establishment, four days after she vanished on November 7 while heading home from classes. The victim, who was shockingly seven months pregnant, had last been seen near her college premises, prompting her family to file an urgent missing person report that evening. Authorities now believe the gruesome murder was an attempt to conceal an illicit relationship gone tragically wrong, exposing deep vulnerabilities in student safety and community oversight.

Police swiftly zeroed in on 63-year-old businessman Jagat Singh, the owner of the store where the septic tank is attached to a toilet in Jonaki Mandal village, after interrogating locals familiar with the victim's routine. Singh, who allegedly posed as a self-proclaimed faith healer running an illegal ashram, confessed during custody to developing physical relations with the young student, which led to her pregnancy. In a desperate bid to prevent his actions from surfacing, he admitted to killing her—likely through strangulation—and disposing of the body in the tank to evade detection, marking a premeditated act that has stunned investigators and the community alike.

The case took a darker turn with suspicions of sexual assault preceding the murder, though forensic confirmation awaits the post-mortem report expected imminently from a government hospital. Singh's interrogation revealed a pattern of exploitation, with reports emerging that he had targeted multiple women under the guise of spiritual healing at his unauthorized facility. Titabor Police, under Superintendent Subrajit Bora, have launched a comprehensive probe, including document verification of his ashram operations and potential links to prior complaints, while vowing to charge him with rape, murder, and evidence tampering under stringent laws like POCSO if minors are implicated elsewhere.

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Outrage boiled over as hundreds of grieving residents, including women's rights activists from the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), stormed outside Titabor Police Station on Monday, demanding capital punishment for Singh or an immediate encounter killing, alongside the demolition of his ashram. Protesters, chanting "Hang the villain" and blocking access roads, nearly breached the station gates, forcing heavy deployment of forces to maintain order. One anguished woman likened the victim to her own daughter, pleading for a "people's court" trial, while KMSS leaders urged Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to fast-track the case and address systemic failures in protecting vulnerable young women.

Compounding the tragedy, the Officer-in-Charge of Titabor Police Station, Lakshman Kumar Das, has been placed under 'reserve closed' status—a formal suspension—amid a departmental inquiry into allegations of negligence, as the family claims officers dismissed early leads and delayed action for over 48 hours. This lapse has ignited broader calls for police reforms and enhanced campus surveillance in Assam's educational hubs, where similar incidents have sporadically exposed gaps in response mechanisms. As the investigation deepens, the community mourns a promising life cut short, vowing relentless pursuit of justice to prevent such horrors from recurring.

As Assam grapples with this horrific crime, authorities have assured a thorough probe under senior supervision, vowing to file charges of rape, murder, and evidence tampering against Jagat Singh once medical reports are finalized. The case has reignited debates on campus safety, police reform, and the urgent need for community vigilance systems to protect young women in rural and semi-urban areas.

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