Astrologer hacked to death in Digboi, investigation on

From our Correspondent

DIGBOI, May 1: A well-established astrologer-cum-palmist, identified as Deepak Acharjee (57) of Topla Basti in Digboi under Digboi Police station in Tinsukia district was allegedly hacked to death by unidentified miscreants on Saturday evening.

According to the aggrieved youngest son, Sidhartha Acarjee, the corpse of his father was found lying in the AOD residential area beside a vacant quarter 1656-A in CMH Area, very close to their residence. According to the relatives of the deceased, including the grief stricken wife, Deepak Acharjee left behind his mobile phone at home and had gone to drop her relatives in Durgabari  at around 7.30 pm on his  purple colored Scooty (Activa, AS23L 7065) and the incident occurred while he was returning after leaving Durgabari  at 9.15  pm, passing through the residential area which did not have sufficient lights.

When the astrologer did not return home till 11 pm on Saturday night, the neighbours and relatives of the deceased started searching in the nearby areas till the body was spotted early on Sunday morning by the eldest son who immediately informed the others, including the police, who rushed to the spot. The neck on the right side had been hacked with a thin sharp weapon with no other injury anywhere in the body.

As reported by his wife, Acharjee  usually carried cash in his Scooty and wore golden chain and several golden rings  which were found missing in the body, besides the Scooty which remained untraced till the filing of this report.

 However, the police have been carrying out investigation to this effect and Inspector of Digboi Police Station Chandan Milli expressed confidence of cracking the mystery within a very short period of time. The police are yet to assert the exact ture of the act and the motive behind it, whether the act was a planned murder for robbery or murder for revenge or any other conspiracy.

Following the postmortem, the body was cremated according to Hindu rites amidst a large gathering of people.  The death of the astrologer has been widely mourned.