The District Police Office found the body of Constable Mohan Bahadur Chand of Bhairavsthan Police Station, who had gone missing since last week, in forests near Birpat-9, about a day and half´s trek from district headquarters Mangalsen. [break]
Police said Chand was killed while returning to the police station from district headquarters after attending a three-day program on children´s development organized by the District Women´s Development Committee.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Achham Sushil Singh Rathour said villagers may have killed the constable on September 19 after giving him chase on suspicion of his being a thief.
“They chased him to the nearby jungle and killed him with sticks, shovels and anything they could lay their hands on. They apparently learnt of his identity only after killing him,” DSP Rathour said.
Meanwhile, police have arrested six persons including owner of local Jwala Hotel in Birpat-9, where Chand had stayed for the night, and hotel staff on suspicion of murdering Chand. Police claim that Chand had a minor dispute with hotel owner Radha Shahi and she and her staff beat him to death. Five hotel staffers and tractor driver Bhimlal Bhandari, 20, have been taken into custody for investigations.
Achham police has summoned personnel from other remote posts who were also returning after attending the same program in Mangalsen and had stayed at the same hotel with Chand, to help the investigations.
Chand has injuries to the head and all over the body. The body has been sent to Achham District Hospital for a post mortem.
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