Logo

Nirmala rape and murder case Nepal Police’s top priority: Spokesperson Subedi



Nirmala rape and murder case

KATHMANDU, Jan 22: Nepal Police Spokesperson Uttam Raj Subedi on Tuesday clarified that Nepal Police is carrying out investigation into the Nirmala rape and murder case as their top priority.

“Nirmala case is a matter of prestige to the entire police department. We have given this case our high priority and carrying out investigation,” said SSP Subedi at an interaction program organized by the Reporters Club Nepal.

Nirmala Pant, a 13-year-old school girl of Bhimduttanagar, who had gone to study at Roshani Bam and Babita Bam’s house to study on July 26, was found raped and murdered the next day in a waterlogged sugarcane field.

In the past five months, multiple probe committees have been formed into investigate into the horrific rape and murder case but are still clueless about the chief culprit.

Lapses in DNA tests, lost CCTV footages of the nearby hotel Opera, local police officers tampering with the evidence, autopsy conclusion that the girl’s vocal cord was broken, police organizing a haste press conference to frame mentally challenged Dilip Singh Bista as main suspect—who later was proven innocent, Kanchanpur Police Chief SP Dilli Raj Bista and Chief District Officer Kumar Bahadur Khadka mishandling of the case, high drama of investigation panels and arrests of a number of suspect and their negative DNA test results have added complexities to the case.

“Sheer negligence of some police personnel in the case made the rape and murder case more complex. They have already been suspended. The incident also broke out public outrage and nationwide protest resulted death and injury of some protesters, which also affected the investigation. But we will arrest and make public the murderer as soon as possible,” added Subedi.

Subedi also said that the Bam sisters are innocent unless proved guilty by the court.

The Bam sisters, regarded as the crucial leads to the horrific Nirmala rape and murder case, were arrested by the police for interrogation on August 23, 2018. Police later released Roshani on condition of presenting herself before the police if required. Her sister Babita was freed on Rs 30,000 bail.

Investigation showed that Panta went to the Bam’s house, which is one and a half kilometers away from her home, around 11 am and spent 3 hours there before she left around 3 pm afterwards but she did not reach home. Her dead body was found in a sugarcane field in Nimbukheda, 500 meters far from Bam’s House.

Earlier today at the television program, the Bam sisters agreed that Panta had come to her house to study but denied their involvement in the incident. “We don’t know what happened after Panta left our house,” they insisted.

Spokesperson Subedi also claimed that the police organization will not let any political pressure influence the investigation process.

“There may be some cases a police staff might have done something under political pressure but the organization won’t,” he said.

Also read:

We are innocent, say Bam sisters in tears

Comment