'I fed her salt': Prime accused denies killing 18-yr-old woman in Jorhat, claims he tried to save her

DIBRUGARH: Aryan Goswami, the primary suspect in the death of 18-year-old Anwesha Saikia, vehemently denied killing her on Wednesday, claiming he had attempted to save her after she reportedly ingested drugs at a party hosted at his apartment on August 15. Goswami, aged 22, was apprehended from Rangajan in Golaghat district on Tuesday evening by a Jorhat Police team led by Officer-in-charge Hrishikesh Hazarika. Along with him, Monalisa Nath and Arpita Kakoty, both his friends, were arrested in connection with the case.

"I didn't kill her. I only tried to save her," Aryan asserted. "She was lying on the floor. I fed her salt, thinking it could help during a drug overdose. But she lost consciousness in front of me." Monalisa disagreed, stating, "We didn't kill her. She died of a drug overdose. She bought it with her own money. We are not her parents, advising her on her actions."

Monalisa and Arpita had attended the party at Aryan's mother, Jharna Goswami's, second-floor flat at Gauri Enclave on Dohabora Road on August 15. They were among those who subsequently took Anwesha to JMCH, where medical professionals pronounced her "brought dead."

Jharna, questioned by the police on Tuesday and summoned again on Wednesday, revealed she was absent when the party occurred. She acknowledged her son's history of drug abuse, noting he had returned from a rehabilitation center on July 10. "He doesn't listen to me. Now, he's facing the consequences," Jharna told reporters.

According to CCTV footage from the building, Aryan and his friends are alleged to have dragged Anwesha, a Class 12 student, from the second-floor flat to the parking area before transporting her to the hospital in an autorickshaw. Anwesha's family disputes Aryan's and his friends' accounts, pointing to injury marks on her neck and face, and demanding a comprehensive forensic investigation.

Residents of the Gauri apartment building reported frequent parties at Aryan's flat and alleged previous run-ins with the law, including an incident on August 21, 2025, when he allegedly attempted to assault the building's security guard with a machete.