Evidence suggests involvement of younger son-in-law

PANCHTHAR, May 24: Preliminary investigations by police suggest that 31-year-old Man Bahadur Makhim could be responsible for the brutal massacre of nine members of two families in Miklajung-2 of Panchthar district on Tuesday.

According to police, the location of the incident sites, the mobile phone used by Makhim, the use of weapon, details of previous incidents, and his mentality, among other things, hint at his involvement in the gruesome murders. Police have expedited their investigation to find out if others were also involved in the massacre.

Makhim is the younger son-in-law of Ban Bahadur Fiyak who was butchered along with his family members. Two kilometers away from the incident sites, Makhim was found hanging dead. A special team from the Central Investigation Bureau, Province 1 and a police team led by the chief of Panchthar Police are investigating the massacre.

All evidences gathered so far suggest that Makhim was involved in the murders, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Narendra Kunwar of Panchthar. "We will find out more once the post-mortem and forensic test reports of the deceased are out," said DSP Kunwar.

Victims cremated

The final rites of the deceased were performed on Thursday as per the Limbu rituals. The family of Bam Bahadur was cremated at Aarubote, Miklajung-3, while the family members of his son-in-law Dhanraj Sherma were cremated at their ancestral place in Miklajung-2.