Myagdi, Aug 12: A human skeleton has been found buried in a forest at Ankh Khet Kalimul of Beni Municipality-9. The skeleton is suspected to belong to Meena Pariyar, 19, of Toripani, Beni Municipality-9, Ghatan, who went missing from her home in January this year (for the past 8 months). 

The District Police Office said that a gold chain, clothes and slippers were also found near the place where the body was buried. 

Locals who had gone to search for aquatic food on Sunday afternoon saw the clothes and burial site nearby at around 3:30 PM and informed the police and people's representatives.

Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Bharat Shrestha said the skeletons, jewelry and clothes would be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for testing. "We will send the human remains and materials recovered from the site for testing on Monday itself," he said. 

Along with the identification of the skeleton and other items recovered from the site, we have focused on searching for other facts and evidence. 

Meena's relatives who reached the site claimed that the jewels and clothes belonged to Meena. They suspected that Meena's body might have been buried in the forest after the murder. 

A youth from Beni Municipality-9, who was arrested on the charge of forced disappearance of Meena, has been sent to jail as per the court's order. 

DSP Shrestha said the details of the missing girl and the relationship of the youth in custody would be confirmed only after the forensic report.

Deepak Pariyar, Shushil Pariyar, and Sanam Pariyar from Neptechaur were the first to find the body. "The hair was visible, and after lightly digging, we found the body and reported it to the police," Shushil said. He added that it appeared as if something was hidden, and upon further digging, human bones were discovered.

In the search operation for Meena, a memorandum was submitted to various bodies, including the then home minister of the federal government, Rabi Lamichhane, the chairperson of the State Affairs Committee, Ram Hari Khatiwada, and the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police, among others.

After Meena went missing from her home on the night of January 1, 2024, it was discovered that she had been with a local youth from a neighboring village, Ram Khatri. During the search for Meena, Khatri, who is currently in custody awaiting further investigation as per the district court's order, admitted to having a romantic relationship with Meena and having had sexual contact with her. However, he has continued to claim that he is not responsible for her disappearance.

It was found that there had been communication between Meena and the accused Khatri on social media. They had met during fieldwork, had a physical relationship, and Meena was found to be six months pregnant. There were also messages suggesting plans to escape to India. The last known location of Meena's mobile phone was shown to be in the Baisari area of northern Myagdi.