'Khyati killed within 24 hours of abduction'

By No Author
Published: June 24, 2009 12:00 AM
KATHMANDU/CHITWAN, June 24: Biren Shrestha (Pradhan), the main accused in the killing of Khyati Shrestha, has confessed to police that he killed the teenaged girl within 24-hours of her kidnapping on June 5. Shrestha made the confession during police interrogations over the incident.
Police investigators have arrived at the conclusion that the accused Shrestha decided to kill the victim as she knew him. He most likely feared being booked for the offense once the girl was released. [break]

Investigation officials believe Shrestha, 42, of Naradevi in Kathmandu used chloroform to murder the girl. However, police decline to make any official comment as they are yet to receive a postmortem report.

Meanwhile, police brought the remains of what are believed to be Khyati´s hands and legs to Kathmandu from Chitwan and sent them to the TU Teaching Hospital at Maharajgunj for postmortem on Tuesday. Officials said they will be able to ascertain how the murder was carried out once they receive the postmortem report.

According to District Police Office, Chitwan, the remains of the hands and legs were found in Chitwan 10 days ago.

Locals at Kabilas VDC-2 had informed police after seeing a suspicious carton with the remains of a leg that could be made out from outside. The place is some five kilometers from the nearest police unit located at Jugedi.

Inspector Laxman Giri at District Police Office, Chitwan, said they had kept the body remains in safety thinking they could be linked to some criminal incident. “The hands were cut into two parts, he said, adding: “One of the legs was in three pieces and the other leg was also cut to pieces.”

Giri said the remains had already begun to rot when they recovered them with the help of the locals.

Police found a human torso believed to be Khyati´s in a stream at Sainbu, Lalitpur on Sunday, as per details furnished by main accused Biren Shrestha (Pradhan). Shrestha is yet to disclose where he dumped the head of the slain girl.

A permanent resident of Biratnagar, Khyati had lived with her parents at the house of the arrested Shrestha some two years ago. She was a Grade XII student of Jubilant College and Research Center at Kalimati.