MYAGDI, Sept 11: All defendants in the murder case of 19-year-old Mina Pariyar from Toripani, Beni Municipality-9, Myagdi, have been remanded into custody for trial.
The defendants have been sent to prison for trial based on the custody order issued on Tuesday by the Myagdi District Court. A single bench of Judge Prakash Prasad Pandit ordered that they remain in custody for investigation until the final verdict of the case, according to Myagdi District Court Information Officer Dilli Raj Poudel.
According to the court's order, Mina's alleged boyfriend Ram Khatri, Ram's mother Renu Khatri, his elder brother Bikki Khatri, younger brother Rojan Khatri, and relative Shyam Khatri from the same locality have been sent to Myagdi District Prison for custody, the District Police Office reported.
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On the charge of murdering pregnant Mina and burying her body, a charge-sheet was filed against them on September 6 through the District Government Attorney Office (DGAO), under Section 177, Chapter 12 of the National Penal Code 2017.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Bharat Shrestha said that following the identification of the body, which had been missing for eight months and was found buried in a forest on August 11, the accused confessed to the murder during the investigation. Based on the evidence, a charge of homicide was filed at the court through the DGAO.
After the body of Mina Pariyar, who had been missing since January 1, 2024, was found in a forest on August 11, 2024, locals reported it to the police while searching for crabs in the area.
The body found in the Githini forest was identified by the family as that of 19-year-old Mina, who had been missing for about eight months. The identification was made based on a gold chain, black shawl, slippers, and clothes found with the body. On August 14, 2024, the deceased's father filed a formal complaint against five individuals, including her 21-year-old neighbor and alleged boyfriend Ram, his mother, brother, and brother-in-law, accusing them of murder.
It was revealed through Facebook Messenger that Mina Pariyar, a class 11 student at Galeshwar Secondary School in Toripani, was in a love affair with Ram Khatri and became six months pregnant after multiple sexual intercourse. Ram repeatedly pressured her for abortion.
The main accused in the murder, Khatri, had previously been detained for 42 days in a case of attempted murder related to an incident in Puladanda, Beni Municipality–5, in 2076 BS. However, he was released due to being a minor at the time, according to Police Inspector Rajan Rayamajhi.
