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 contrab and, 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.