Guwahati, September 14, 2026: Ramanuj Goswami, the 30-year-old cab driver accused of brutally murdering and beheading his wife Riya Talukdar, died in the early hours of Monday after jumping from a moving police vehicle in an apparent bid to escape custody.
According to police, the incident occurred around 3 am near Narakasur Hills (also referred to as Narakasur Pahar) in Guwahati. Goswami was being escorted either to or from Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for a medical examination when he allegedly attacked the escorting police personnel, jumped from the vehicle, and fell into a gorge. He sustained severe head injuries and was rushed to GMCH, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Hospital records indicate he was brought in at approximately 2:41–3:41 am and was declared brought dead. A post-mortem is expected to be conducted.
Goswami had been in seven-day police remand, which was due to end on Monday, after which he was to be produced before a court. He was arrested following his surrender on the night of September 6 in connection with the killing of his 25-year-old wife, Riya Talukdar, a boutique worker.
Police say the couple, who had married on September 22, 2025, lived in a flat at Basisthapur in Guwahati’s Beltola (Hatigaon) area. On September 3, following a heated argument over Goswami’s suspicion that his wife was involved in an extramarital affair, he allegedly attacked her with a dao (machete), beheaded her, and chopped off her fingers. He then placed her severed head, wrapped in a black polythene bag, inside the refrigerator. Neighbours later complained of a foul smell emanating from the flat, prompting police to break in and recover the partially decomposed body and the head on September 6. A blood-stained machete and liquor bottles were also seized from the scene.
During custody, Goswami reportedly showed no remorse. On September 8, while being taken for a medical examination, he told the media he had “no regret” and “no apology” for the crime and threatened to kill a man he referred to as his wife’s “sugar daddy” if he were ever released. He later made a more subdued statement expressing that what he did was “bad.”
Goswami’s family refused to accept his body, alleging that the death was not accidental and raising questions about the circumstances. Reports of his death also disrupted the ongoing post-death rituals for Riya Talukdar that were being held in Gauripur town in Dhubri district, from where Goswami originally hailed.
Police have registered a case against him under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those related to murder and causing the disappearance of evidence. Further investigation into the circumstances of his death is underway.
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