Former Itanagar Capital Region deputy commissioner Talo Potom, whose name surfaced in a chilling twin suicide case that has gripped Arunachal Pradesh, was arrested on Monday morning after surrendering to police in Nirjuli.
Potom, who currently serves as Special Secretary (PWD) with the Delhi government, gave himself up at the Nirjuli police station around 7.30 am, Papum Pare Superintendent of Police Neelam Nega confirmed. He was formally taken into custody soon after.
The senior bureaucrat had been untraceable since Thursday when the case involving allegations of sexual exploitation, coercion and corruption first came to light. A look-out notice was issued after he failed to respond to repeated summons.
According to police, Potom was wanted under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including abetment to suicide and criminal misconduct.
The case revolves around the death of 28-year-old Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) employee, Gomchu Yekar, who was found dead at his rented apartment in Lekhi village near Nirjuli on October 23. Investigators recovered a handwritten note from the scene, allegedly detailing prolonged harassment by two senior officials-Potom and Rural Works Department (RWD) Executive Engineer, Likwang Lowang.
Hours later, Lowang too was discovered dead in an apparent suicide at his residence in Longding district, police said.
What began as a routine case of unnatural death under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) soon snowballed into a high-profile probe after Yekar’s family came forward claiming that multiple suicide notes had been found.
The notes, now treated as potential dying declarations, paint a disturbing picture of systemic abuse and manipulation. Yekar wrote that he had been “sexually exploited and harassed over an extended period” and subjected to humiliation, coercion and threats that ultimately drove him to take his own life.
The writings, police sources said, detail alleged intimate relationships, financial promises and subsequent betrayal. One note claims Yekar had contracted HIV and accuses one of the officials of “abandoning him and blackmailing him.”
In another note, he stated that he had been promised ₹1 crore as financial assistance which was later withdrawn. “If I die, it will be because of him (Potom). Please give me justice,” the note read.
Following these revelations, Yekar’s father lodged a detailed complaint at Nirjuli police station, demanding stern action against both officials for abetment to suicide, sexual exploitation, criminal intimidation, mental harassment, corruption and endangerment of life.
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The First Information Report (FIR) invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017. The family also sought that the notes be preserved as primary evidence and subjected to forensic and handwriting analysis.
Police sources said the notes suggest Yekar was initially hired on a temporary basis by Potom to assist in enforcing an alcohol and tobacco-free order at Itanagar’s Indira Gandhi Park. However, he allegedly became entangled in activities that blurred the lines of authority.
Investigations have revealed that Yekar later began posing as a magistrate, conducting unauthorised raids, collecting illegal fines and extorting money from pubs and liquor shops. He reportedly used a rented car with a “Magistrate on Duty” plate and forged seals to lend legitimacy to his actions.
Yekar, originally from Daporijo in Upper Subansiri district, had been arrested earlier for impersonation and extortion, police said.
His family, however, insists that the young man was trapped, coerced and exploited by powerful officials who later abandoned him. They have demanded a “fair, transparent and independent investigation,” even urging that central agencies be brought in given the influence of those implicated.
In response to the growing outrage, the Arunachal Pradesh Police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to handle the case.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Itanagar Capital Region) Tumme Amo said, “The SIT is headed by Itanagar SDPO Kengo Dirchi, who is coordinating with Tirap SP, currently holding additional charge of Longding district.” Amo added that the team is awaiting the post-mortem report of Lowang and that Potom’s HIV status will be verified as part of the probe.
“The investigation will be evidence-based and impartial,” Amo said, assuring that no individual’s rank or political connection would influence the inquiry.
The twin suicides have shocked the administrative establishment in Arunachal Pradesh, exposing a disturbing nexus of power, exploitation and silence. As forensic reports and digital evidence are awaited, investigators say they are piecing together a case that may reveal layers of misconduct beyond what the suicide notes suggest.
Potom remains in police custody as the SIT continues to unravel what many in the state are now calling one of the darkest scandals in its recent bureaucratic history.
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