Briefcase of missing doctor found

CHITWAN, May 22: A briefcase and some belongings of Dr Bhakta Man Shrestha, who has been missing since Tuesday night, have been recovered from a house in Dare Chowk Village Development Committee (VDC) near Ghopte Bhir along the Narayanghat-Munglin road section on Saturday. Shrestha´s whereabouts, however, still remains unknown.



The belongings of the executive director of BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Bharatpur were recovered from the house of one Ek Bahadur Thapa of Lewatar, Dare Chowk. Thapa along with local youths found those belongings at the bank of Trishuli river when they had gone to forest to collect forage on Wednesday. [break]



The briefcase, that had BM Shrestha written on it, had identity cards and 17 photographs of Shrestha and his wife Sheelu. It also had blank papers of provident fund. Thapa had kept the briefcase at his house.



“We saw a bag by the side of the river. Papers and photos were scattered around the bag. We gathered them, put them into the bag and brought it home,” Thapa said adding, “We brought the bag home thinking it might come to use.”



The youths said they informed an official of cable car nearby after they saw news about Dr Shrestha on television Wednesday evening. “We were frightened after seeing the news and told sir,” Ek Bahadur, who was with Thapa when they found the bag, conceded.



Police said the briefcase, that was found 95 meters below the road and around 50 feet above the river, must have been hurled from the road. “We were informed about the belongings by the cable car officials only on Saturday,” said acting chief of the Area Police Office Munglin, Bikash Adhikari. Police have taken Ek Bahadur under control for further investigation.



Police have intensified search around the place where briefcase was found since Saturday morning. A large group of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and National Investigation Department personnel are looking for more clues in the area. Police and locals have also mobilized a rafting team in the river.



Chief of Chitwan Police Dhiru Basnet said the incident has become more mysterious following the recovery of the briefcase. “Looking at the development of the incident, Dr Shrestha has been abducted in a well-planned way,” he said.



Health services to be halted on Sunday



All kind of health services except emergency and indoor services would be halted across the country on Sunday in protest of the incident.



“We will stop services except emergency and indoor services across the country on Sunday to press the government,” President of Nepal Medical Association Dr Kedar Narsingh KC said. “We know the common people have been hard hit by regular strikes but we hope people will understand the conditions in which we are doing this.”



Health services in Chitwan district has already been affected with doctors providing just emergency services since Thursday.



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