Vishakhapatnam:
A 20-year-old woman from Assam’s Kamrup district, who had travelled to Visakhapatnam as part of a dance troupe, has been found dead beside a railway track in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district. She went missing during her journey home on the Dibrugarh Vivek Express. Police are investigating the circumstances of her death.
The woman has been identified as Himashree Boro, daughter of Manesware Boro. She was a tribal woman and a student of B Borooah College in Guwahati. Her family is from Chapaidang, under Bonda Post Office in Kamrup district.
According to police, Himashree had joined a dance troupe and travelled to Visakhapatnam for dance programmes. She decided to return home as she had a bank examination in Guwahati on October 10.
“On the evening of October 5, she reportedly attempted to book a Tatkal ticket online for the Silchar Express, but the reservation was not confirmed,” police said.
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She then went to Visakhapatnam railway station and boarded the Vivek Express (Train No. 22503) towards Assam. According to her mother’s complaint, she boarded at 11:50 pm on October 5. The train left Visakhapatnam at 12:10 am and was scheduled to reach Guwahati at 9:05 am on October 7.
During the journey, she reportedly told friends about the heavy crowd in the coach and said she was afraid after finding herself surrounded mainly by male passengers. In her last message to her family, she said she was afraid as there were a lot of men around her, according to the family.
She stayed in touch with her family and friends after boarding. Police said her family last spoke to her at around 1.30 pm on October 6. According to the family’s account in the complaint, the last conversation took place at 2:39 am on Tuesday, October 6. Her phone later became unreachable and was then switched off.
Her mother filed a complaint with the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Guwahati and also lodged it through the Railways helpline 139. Relatives also alerted the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and police in Assam, seeking help in tracing her.
Railway police began searching along the route after her bag was found in the S2 coach of the train. Her belongings were reportedly found inside the train.
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Her body was later found beside the railway track in Srikakulam district. An RPF source told NDTV that it was recovered from a forested area near Malayapuram in Andhra Pradesh. Railway police sources said the cause of death is yet to be ascertained.
Police are examining the scene, the position of the body, injuries, witness statements, CCTV footage and communications she made before she went missing. Investigators have not yet conclusively established whether she accidentally fell from the moving train or whether other circumstances led to her death.
The post-mortem and further forensic investigation are expected to clarify the cause of death.
Investigators are also trying to identify an unidentified man seen with her on the Visakhapatnam platform and to determine whether he had any role in the events that followed.
