Guwahati, Oct. 4: AIUDF legislator from Boko Gopi Nath Das, accused of raping his minor domestic help in a moving car, was arrested from Hajo in Kamrup district today, after eluding police for nearly a month.

Kamrup superintendent of police Indrani Baruah said they were tracking his movement through technical surveillance and finally arrested him from Hajo Chowk around 3.30pm today.

Das was travelling in a hired Tata Indigo car when a police team led by Baruah intercepted him.

The AIUDF legislator was absconding after a notice was served to him to appear before the police for examination on September 7.

He is now at Palashbari police station and will be produced before the court of Kamrup chief judicial magistrate at Amingaon tomorrow.

Hajo is about 40km from Guwahati while Palashbari police station is about 40km from Hajo.

AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam said the party has suspended Das with immediate effect. He will remain under suspension till he comes out clean from all charges.

"We got information that Das was arriving in Guwahati yesterday. A team started tracking his movements from this morning. His vehicle was followed by our team and was intercepted at Hajo Chowk," additional superintendent of police, Kamrup, Nabanit Mahanta, said.

Asked why he was not arrested in Guwahati, Mahanta said, "We wanted to arrest him at a convenient place."

"We have not started grilling Das yet as he is in a state of shock," Mahanta said.

Some people, including the MLA's relatives and supporters, gathered outside Palashbari police station after the AIUDF legislator was brought there.

Nobody was allowed to enter the police station.

His arrest became imminent after Gauhati High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea on October 1.

Opposing his prayer for anticipatory bail, public prosecutor Z. Kamar had told the high court that from the victim's statement, medical reports and attending circumstances appearing in the case diary, it was prima facie established that Das had committed the offence and the benefit of pre-arrest bail should not be extended to him.

On behalf of the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, senior lawyer A.M. Buzarbaruah opposed his bail plea.

A 14-year-old girl working at the MLA's residence had lodged an FIR in Boko police station in Kamrup district, 55km from Guwahati, on September 6, accusing Das of raping her on August 29 in his Maruti Alto car, which was seized by police from his Udalbakra residence here on September 10.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered against Das under Section 343 IPC and Sections 4 and 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The police had registered another case against Das and a few others for allegedly putting pressure on the victim and her mother to withdraw the rape charges.

In connection with the second case, the police on September 20 arrested four persons, including three brothers-in-law of Das, for allegedly taking the signatures of the victim and her mother on blank sheets of paper and without their consent had written that Das had not committed rape.

They had then submitted the papers in Gauhati High Court along with Das's prayer for anticipatory bail.