KHOTANG, March 24: District Police Office (DPO), Khotang and an investigation team from the Regional Police Office have failed to solve the murder mystery of a teenage girl even after six weeks of investigation.

Seventeen-year-old Rita Tamang of Lichkiramche-8, Khotang was found dead in Kusheaunsi forest of the neighboring Simapani village on February 8. Although the DPO and the regional office had formed different probe teams to investigate the incident, they are yet to trace the perpetrators of the gruesome murder.

This has disappointed the family members of the victim. Circumstantial evidences have pointed out she was probably gang raped and then killed. DSP Nabin Kishor Pradhan of DPO, Khotang said that the lack of cooperation by the locals has made it difficult for them to nab the culprits.

Investigation has revealed that Tamang was employed in a hotel owned by Shiva Khadka of Simpani. When she didn't return home till late night on that fateful day, her family members went to search for her. They found her body dumped 40 meters below the road.

According to the police, the body was recovered in a shocking state as the head was fractured, teeth had fallen out, the right eye was crushed and there was a huge cut on her chin. As per the speculation of the investigating officers, the victim must have been brutally beaten and then crushed by stone.

According to the relatives of the deceased, the failure of the police to find out the culprits would leave a great psychological impact on the society. Family members of the victim have been constantly demanding that the police to find out the guilty and take strict action against them.

The probe team from the Regional Police Office, Rajbiraj started investigation upon the request of the National Human Rights Commission, which had made a field visit to the incident site, after the local police teams remained clueless about the case.

Earlier in the district, thirty-year-old Sumina Mahat of Damkharbusibalaye-1 was killed on February 4, but the perpetrator was caught within five days. Rohin Karki, 40 of Chisapani-4 was identified as the murderer of Mahat. But, the suspects in Tamang's case are yet to be identified by the police.

 
• khotang
 
• district police office
 
• investigation
 
• murder mystery
 
• teenage girl