Arunachal IAS officer, accused in teen’s death, surrenders

The police in Arunachal Pradesh’s Naharlagun arrested an IAS officer named in a note left behind by a deceased teen for “sexual harassment” after he surrendered on Monday (October 27, 2025).

Naharlagun and Itanagar, 15 km apart, together form the Itanagar Capital Complex.

Naharlagun’s Superintendent of Police, Nyelam Nega, said Talo Potom was arrested after he surrendered at the Nirjuli police station at around 7:30 a.m. He would be produced before a magistrate.

Mr. Potom, posted as Secretary in the Public Works Department in Delhi, is an IAS officer promoted from the Arunachal Pradesh Civil Services. He was on leave in his home State when 19-year-old was found dead at his rented accommodation in Papum Pare district’s Lekhi village around 11 a.m. on Thursday (October 23, 2025).

According to the first information (FIR) report filed by the victim’s father, multiple handwritten notes were recovered from the room where he died. In the notes, the victim accused Mr. Potom and an executive engineer in the State’s Rural Works Department of sexually exploiting and harassing him over an extended period.

He also alleged that continuous humiliation, coercion, and threats drove him to death.

Police said Likwang Lowang, the executive engineer, was found dead at his Khonsa residence in the Tirap district on October 23, hours after his name was embroiled in the teen’s unnatural death.

Mr Potom had been absconding since October 25, when the State police issued a lookout notice in connection with the victim’s death. He was named as a prime accused in the FIR registered by the Nirjuli police under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita of 2023.

The IAS officer trashed the charges against him through a video statement that he released before surrendering. He stated that he had no personal relations with the deceased, whom he had appointed as a contractual multi-tasking staff member during his tenure as Deputy Commissioner in Itanagar.

Urging everyone to respect the law, he said he decided to surrender to allow a fair investigation into the death.

(Arunachal Pradesh suicide prevention helpline numbers: 14416, 1800-89-14416)

(Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts are encouraged to seek help and counselling by calling the helpline numbers here)