Three Indians arrested in Nepal: A quiet neighbourhood in Lalitpur, Nepal was shaken by a brutal crime that unfolded in plain sight. What began as a missing person case ended in a shocking murder discovery leaving locals disturbed and a family devastated.
Three Indian citizens arrested in the murder of an 83-year-old man in Lalitpur have been sent to jail after a court order. The Lalitpur District Court has started legal proceedings against them on charges of murder.
The victim, 83-year-old Garjaman Thapa, lived in the Prashiddha Tole area of Lalitpur Metropolitan City-17. He went missing on January 10 in the afternoon. Two days later, his body was found inside a well, packed in a sack.
Who are the accused?
The accused are all residents of Hardiakothi, Motihari, East Champaran, Raxaul, Bihar, India. They are Mohammad Saddam Mansuri, 23, also known as Sadam, from Hardiakothi-9, Yusuf Hawari, known as Chhotu, from Hardiakothi-5, and Mohammad Noman, 22, from the same area.
Police filed a murder case against all three at the Lalitpur District Court. On Friday, Judge Tekraj Joshi ordered that they be sent to jail for further investigation. Following the order, they were transferred to Nakkhu Prison in Lalitpur.
More details about the case
According to police, Garjaman Thapa went missing at around 2 pm on January 10. When he did not return home, his family searched the neighbourhood throughout the day but found no trace of him.
By 7 pm, worried relatives filed a missing person complaint at the Satdobato Police Circle.
At the time he disappeared, Thapa was wearing a black jacket with “North Face” written on it, black jeans, black shoes, and a cream-coloured cap. He was around 4 feet tall and had a fair complexion.
Two days after his disappearance, locals noticed a large white sack inside a well near Thapa’s residence. Finding it suspicious, police pulled the sack out of the well.
Inside the sack was the body of the missing elderly man.
The condition of the body made it clear that this was not accident. Police confirmed early in the investigation that Thapa had been murdered and his body was dumped in the well to hide the crime.
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Police investigation revealed that the victim lived near a plywood factory where the accused worked. Because Thapa often visited the factory, the accused were familiar with him.
On the day he went missing, Thapa had again gone to the factory. Police believe the murder happened around 5 pm that same day.
Police say the main motive for the murder was robbery. The accused allegedly killed Thapa to steal his ring. After the arrest, police recovered the ring along with the knife used in the crime.
Thapa’s throat was slit, and after the murder, his hands and legs were tied. The body was packed into a sack and dumped into a well about 200 metres away from the factory.