The police have arrested the murderer of Om Prakash Rai, who was killed near a picnic spot in Bode Nil Barahi, Madhyapur Thimi Municipality-9, Bhaktapur. The arrested suspect is Himal Budha Magar, a 57-year-old resident of Paribartan Rural Municipality-6 in Rolpa. The Bhaktapur District Police Office apprehended him.
DSP and spokesperson of Bhaktapur, Dhundiraj Neupane, also confirmed that one person has been arrested in connection with the murder. “We have arrested one person. We are preparing to make the arrest public today,” he told The Ritible.
According to an investigating officer, Himal confessed to killing Om Prakash over a dispute involving 100 rupees. “Om Prakash took 100 rupees, and due to this dispute, I killed him by hitting him with a stone,” the officer quoted Himal as saying.
The police are preparing to make the suspect public today. Himal stated that after Om Prakash refused to return the 100 rupees, he threw him on the ground and repeatedly beat him, leading to his death.
Om Prakash’s body was found at 5:55 AM on Sunday morning near the parking area close to the Nil Barahi picnic site.
When the police arrived at the scene, they found a man’s body on the ground covered in blood. The body had a large head injury, and a stone, covered in blood, was found nearby. The right ear of the deceased was torn, and a bag containing various scrap materials was also found near the body. Along with the bag, there were a cap and a sack. The police initially suspected that the deceased might have been a person collecting scrap and conducted an investigation accordingly.
The deceased’s son also came forward to identify the body, confirming that the victim was 66-year-old Om Prakash Rai from Khotang, Kepilasgadhi Rural Municipality-2. The police confirmed that Om Prakash was killed around midnight on Sunday. Himal, the arrested suspect, confirmed this during questioning.
According to the police, the day before, Saturday evening, some individuals had performed religious rituals at the same place where Om Prakash’s body was later found. It was later discovered that these people had come to the site to collect offerings.
Himal, in his statement to the police, mentioned that both he and Om Prakash had consumed alcohol together on Sunday evening. Afterward, they went to the Nil Barahi picnic spot to collect offerings. The dispute over the 100 rupees occurred while they were on their way to rest, which led to the murder. Both men were scrap collectors.
