Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the murder of 68-year-old Chintamani Upadhyay from Gaumukhi-5, Pyuthan. The arrested are 51-year-old Lok Bahadur Giri from Khung, Gaumukhi-5, and 50-year-old Jedu Neupane. They are related by marriage; Lok Bahadur is Jedu’s brother-in-law.
Chintamani’s body was found on the morning of Magh 18 at around 9 a.m. on a rough road connecting Khung and Narikot, near Fursedhara. According to Police Chief DSP Dipesh Basyal, Chintamani had severe injuries to his head, face, nose, and mouth. The murder was determined to have occurred the previous day around 8 p.m. based on the investigation.
The cause of the murder was revealed to be a love triangle involving illegal relationships, as per police investigation. Jedu had called Chintamani to meet her at Fursedhara on Thursday evening.
However, Jedu was not alone at Fursedhara. She was with her son-in-law, Lok Bahadur. Jedu had been in a romantic relationship with both Chintamani and Lok Bahadur. Her husband has been working in India for several years, and her children are married and no longer live with her, so she had been living alone. During this time, she grew close to Chintamani. Jedu’s relationship with Lok Bahadur was known to Chintamani, and the two had a strained relationship over the past year.
A year ago, Chintamani had caught Jedu with Lok Bahadur in her home, which led to gossip in the village about their illicit relationship. This situation caused a scandal, and since then, Jedu and Lok Bahadur had been plotting revenge, according to police investigations.
On Magh 17, Jedu invited Chintamani to meet her, and Lok Bahadur was also involved in the plan. Chintamani, hoping to mend his relationship with Jedu, went to meet her at Fursedhara, about 1.5 kilometers south of his home. Upon arrival, Chintamani saw both Jedu and Lok Bahadur together. Lok Bahadur confronted Chintamani about the past incident, and after initial attempts to avoid the confrontation, Chintamani lost his temper and attacked Lok Bahadur. In response, Lok Bahadur struck Chintamani with the butt of a firearm, causing Chintamani to fall. According to DSP Basyal, the strike knocked out some of Chintamani’s teeth.
As Chintamani lay on the ground struggling, Lok Bahadur hit him with rocks on his head and face. Jedu also struck him with rocks. Once Chintamani was confirmed dead, Jedu took the 7,000 rupees from his pocket, while Lok Bahadur took his mobile phone and fled into the forest.
After the murder, Jedu pretended to be unaware of the situation. Lok Bahadur stayed in the forest during the day and only returned home at night.
The investigation was led by DSP Basyal and Police Inspector Keshav KC. At the crime scene, they found two sets of footprints: one belonging to Chintamani, who had worn warm slippers, and another set, which led investigators to Jedu. She was arrested on Saturday after police discovered the footprints. During questioning, Jedu remained silent for 5 to 6 hours.
The police had learned from the villagers about Jedu’s relationship with Lok Bahadur, which helped them track her down. Lok Bahadur was also found to be spending his days in the forest and only coming home at night. The police used his mobile phone’s location to track him down, and he was arrested on Saturday night.
Lok Bahadur was brought to the district police office on Sunday morning at 3 a.m. According to police spokesperson Keshav KC, Lok Bahadur had destroyed Chintamani’s phone after the murder and discarded it in the forest.
Chintamani’s mobile phone was later found hidden in a cave, and police are questioning Lok Bahadur about the whereabouts of the firearm used in the murder.
Both Lok Bahadur and Jedu have confessed to the murder. Investigations into the case are ongoing, and they will be charged with murder.
