Absconding Assam legislator arrested on rape charges

Assam legislator Gopinath Das, who was absconding since last month, has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the rape of a minor domestic help, police said on Sunday. The legislator has denied the allegation.

The girl's family filed a police complaint against the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) legislator from Boko assembly constituency, saying Das raped her in his vehicle last month.

The girl's father told police that she was confined to the legislator's house since the rape, and it was only after she escaped from there, the family came to know about the incident and filed the police complaint in Boko.

Police registered a case against Das on charges of wrongful confinement under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Police raided his house and official quarters in Dispur, but he was missing. His mobile phone also remained untraced.

"We received information that Das will be moving somewhere today and we intercepted him. He was arrested from Hajo area near Guwahati today (Sunday)," said Kamrup Superintendent of Police Indrani Baruah.

Das was being interrogated at the Palasbari police station and he would be presented in a court on Monday.

He has refuted the charges and said it was an attempt to malign his political career ahead of the next year's assembly elections.