Jorhat, Aug 19: After remaining absconding for days, the key accused in the death of 18-year-old Anwesha Saikia was arrested by Jorhat Police from Rangajan in Golaghat on Tuesday night.The accused, Aryan Goswami, was allegedly present at the August-15 gathering during which Anwesha fell critically ill at Gauri Apartment in Dhaba Bora Chuk and later died while being taken to hospital. Goswami was brought to Jorhat Sadar Police Station following his arrest and questioned about the circumstances surrounding Anwesha’s death. During questioning, Goswami reportedly denied killing the teenager and claimed she had consumed drugs before collapsing. “I did not kill the girl. I was there to save her. She was already drugged and was on the ground when I went to help her. I tried to revive her by giving her salt, but she had already blacked out,” Goswami said. According to Goswami, Anwesha had arrived at his room with Monalisha and said she would stay for around half an hour. He claimed he was in another room when he realised she had allegedly overdosed. “I asked her how much she had taken, but she did not respond and fell down. There had been an overdose incident earlier as well, so I panicked when I saw her condition,” he said. Goswami admitted to having used drugs in the past but claimed he had stopped. He said he now lives in Guwahati and works as a cab driver. “I had taken drugs a year or two ago, but I left them. I now live in Guwahati and drive a cab,” he said. The nature of the contraband, however, is yet to be ascertained, and police hope the victim’s autopsy will shed more light on the matter. Conflicting accounts over drug use Monalisha, another accused and the victim’s friend who was arrested and questioned earlier on Tuesday, backed Goswami’s claim that Anwesha had consumed drugs, while denying that she or the others present had taken them. “We did not kill her. She took drugs heavily and died of an overdose. Only she took the drugs. We were there, but we did not take anything,” Monalisha said. She claimed she had accompanied Anwesha without knowing the purpose of the visit. “She went to Aryan’s room and took me along. I did not know she was going there to take drugs, otherwise I would not have accompanied her. Aryan, Ankit and Anwesha had planned to take drugs, but Anwesha took them first and then became unwell,” she said. Monalisha also claimed there had been no party at the flat and that Anwesha had purchased the drugs with her own money. Another arrested woman, Arpita, denied taking drugs and said she had never admitted to doing so. “When did I say I take drugs? I did not take drugs. Let the court and police decide,” Arpita said. Police question Goswami’s mother Earlier on Tuesday, police arrested Monalisha and Arpita in connection with the case and questioned Goswami’s mother, Jharna Goswami. Jharna told police that she had been staying at her maternal home in Kakoti village for around 15 days as her mother was unwell. She said Aryan was at the flat on the day of the incident. “I was not at home. I had been staying at my mother’s place for the last 15 days. He was at home on the day of the incident,” Jharna said. She also denied reports that she operated a rehabilitation centre from the flat. “I was never involved in any rehab centre, and the rumours about this are untrue. The flat belongs to me. Aryan had returned home after being at a rehab centre,” she said. Jharna further said she had warned her son against consuming drugs but claimed he had not listened. “I had forbidden him from taking drugs, but he never listened to me,” she said. Mystery deepensThe case centres on the events of the night of August 15 at Gauri Apartment, where Anwesha was reportedly present with friends. She fell critically ill during the gathering and was taken to hospital, but died on the way. The exact circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation. Police are yet to establish whether she died from a drug overdose or another cause. The conflicting statements of those present and the ongoing police investigation are expected to be crucial in determining what happened at the apartment that night.