Last week, nine members of two families were murdered in cold blood with a sharp weapon when they were fast asleep at Arubote village in Miklajung Rural Municipality-3 of Panchthar district.

Dhan Raj Sherma, 41, his wife Jasmita Sherma, 36, daughters Yobana Sherma, 13 and Muna Sherma 8 and son Ikshya Sherma, 5; and Dhanraj’s father-in-law Bam Bahadur Phiyak, 75, his wife Farsimaya Phiyak , 71, youngest daughter Man Kumari Sherma, 31, and daughter-in-law Shreya Phiyak,13 were slaughtered on the night of May 20.

Sita Khajum, 12, who witnessed the terrific butchering of her family members, survived after managing to escape and hiding in a neighbor’s house some 50 meters away. She sustained an injury on her right hand,  is receiving treatment at Lifeline Hospital in Damak.

It reminded a bitter memory of Timbure massacre of the then Phidim-13, Panchthar 26 years ago, in 1993 (2050 BS), when five members of a family were murdered. Kuber Dulal, his wife Saraswti Rijal, daughter Krishna, sons Umesh and Uddab–were attacked with a khukuri and murdered. Kuber’s daughters Gyanu and Manu had survived the attack.

According to the police, the preliminary investigations showed a connection between the family massacre and the suicide of Man Bahadur Makhim, husband of Man Kumari, who had a troubled relationship with his wife. They had filed for a divorce. Police suspect Man Bahadur was found hanging from a tree in Limba village next morning, located a few kilometers away from the crime site where the blood bath occurred. The investigation led to Man Bahadur as bloodstained khukuri and some blood-soaked clothes were recovered from the place where Man Bahadur was found hanging. Cell phone, some cash and gold were also recovered for the site.

The police, after taking statements from relatives, have found that Man Bahadur was mentally unstable.

According to Sita, a masked man entered the house and started attacking every one present in the house with a sharp weapon. He then fled the scene.

However, the villagers have claimed that such a horrific massacre could not have carried out by Man Bahadur alone. They suspect he was helped by other criminals as well.

A six-member team of Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) is carrying out investigation and collecting evidence from the incident site. A large number of police personnel have been mobilized in the terrorized village, where villagers had a hard time sleeping.

The final rites of the victims were performed in the village on Thursday, after post mortem.

(Video report by Paban Bhattarai)

While the preliminary investigations have suggested Man Bahadur Makhim could have hand in the horrific murder of nine members of two families, the locals claim he alone could not have committed the bloodbath. Man Bahadur was found hanging from a tree in Limba village, located a few kilometers away from the crime site next afternoon.

Dhan Raj Sherma, 41, his wife Jasmita Sherma, 36, daughters Yobana Sherma, 13 and Muna Sherma 8 and son Ikshya Sherma, 5; and Dhanraj’s father-in-law Bam Bahadur Phiyak, 75, his wife Farsimaya Phiyak , 71, youngest daughter Man Kumari Sherma, 31, and daughter-in-law Shreya Phiyak,13 were murdered in cold blood with a sharp weapon at Arubote village in Miklajung Rural Municipality-3 of Panchthar district on Monday night. Man Bahadur is the husband of Man Kumari.

Only Sita Khajum, 12, who was in Bam Bahadur’s house and witnessed the terrific slaughter, had managed to escape jumping from the first floor. She had then run toward a neighbor some 50 meters away.

According to her, a masked man broke into the house at around 10 pm and started butchering the family members who were fast asleep.

She said, though the murderer chased her, she had managed to escape somehow with a fractured hand. She is receiving treatment in Dharan.

Police say the masked man could be Man Bahadur as the preliminary investigation showed the murder and suicide of Man Bahadur are linked given a blood-stained Khukuri and some clothes soaked in blood, some cash and a cell phone were recovered near the place where Makhim was found hanging from a tree.

The locals said Man Bahadur and wife Man Kumari had some bitter moments.

Man Bahadur, a migrant worker his wife, who had been living with her parents for the past three years, had filed for a divorce.

The relatives of Man Bahadur have said he was mentally unstable and had gone to a pharmacy to purchase some medicine on Monday morning.

According to the police, Man Bahadur had telephoned a man asking for Rs 5000 to buy his medicines.

Though the husband and wife had a troubled relationship, “Man Bahadur alone could not have murdered the nine people of two families. If this is his work, other criminals could have helped him,” said a neighbor of Sherma family.

The locals of Miklajung have insisted the investigation should not be concluded finding Man Bahadur alone guilty in the horrific crime.

“How could a single person carry out such carnage,” another local resident of the village said.

The murder has also been linked with an incident two weeks ago when Muna Sherma and Man Kumari Phiyak had become sick after eating food which was cooked using salt mixed with grained glass.

The locals said the incident was true.

The bodies of the victims have already been handed over to the relatives after post-mortems.

Meanwhile, the locals of Milkajung say they feel terrified despite the presence of a huge police team in the village.

Photos: Paban Bhattarai

By Bipul Adhikari

The entire village of Aarubote of Miklajung-3 in Panchthar district is in grief following the massacre of nine people of two families on Monday night.

The carnage has become more mysterious after the main suspect was found hung.

However, punishment for the crime is awaited, as the police are investigating the killing.

Relating to the killing, the villagers recalled the same nature of crime in the district some 26 years ago.

Five members of a family were murdered in Timbure of the then Phidim-13 in 2050 BS. The family’s five members–Kuber Dulal, his wife Saraswti Rijal, daughter Krishna, sons Umesh and Uddab–were attacked with a khukuri. Only family’s two members–daughters of Kuber, Gyanu and Manu–survived the attack, popularly known as ‘Timbure massacre’.

Manu was at her school, and Gyanu in her relative’s house when the massacre took place.

However, Manu died of a heart attack later in 2073 BS in the United States of America, while Gyanu is in the US at present.

The police investigations said the killing took place over a family dispute. With relation to Monday night massacre at Aarubote, the lone survivor of the brutal attack is Sita Khajum, 12, who is receiving treatment at a local hospital.

The dead have been identified as Dhanraj, 41, Jasmita Phiyak, 36, Man Kumari Phiyak, 26, six-year-old Iksha Sherma, Yobana Sherma, 13, eight-year-old Muna Sherma, Bam Bahadur, 74 and his wife and 12-year-old Aashika Khajum Limbu. They were attacked with a khukuri by a masked person, said survivor Khajum.

The killing took place in the houses of Sherma and Phiyak situated around one kilometer apart, said the police.

Death of the main suspect, Man Bahadur Makhim, younger son-in-law of dead Bam Bahadur, has made the killing more suspicious.

Makhim was found hung the following day at a distance of around five kilometers from the incident site.

Clothes and a khukuri soaked in a pool of blood were found inside a bag around two kilometers from where Makhim was found hung.

Bodies of the deceased have been sent to Dharan-based B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences for a postmortem, said Inspector Ten Narayan Yadav.

A special team from the Central Investigation Bureau, Nepal Police, reached the attack site, and is carrying out investigations, he said.