Police to make public Bhagarathi’s rape, murder accused today

A teenage boy has confessed to the rape and murder of 17-year-old Bhagarathi Bhatta of Baitadi district, according to police.

Spokesperson at Sudurpaschim Province Police Office, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mukesh Kumar Singh said Bhagarathi’s class fellow, a 17-year-old boy, confessed to police on Tuesday night that he raped Bhatta and killed her out of a desire for vengeance. SSP Singh said the suspect who is also the neighbour of Bhatta confessed to the crime as police were going through the investigation. It has been learnt that his family and Bhatta’s family had strained relations.

Meanwhile, the suspect has been taken into custody at District Police Office (DPO), Baitadi.

Meanwhile, the DPO is going to make public the person accused in the rape and murder of Bhatta at 2:00 pm today, SSP Singh informed.

Bhagarathi Bhatta of (Katola), Chadepani in Dogdakedar Rural Municipality-7 of Baitadi district was found dead in Lawalek forest on Thursday, February 4. Bhatta, XII grader at the local Sanatan Dharma Secondary School, Shreekot was found with bruises all over her body with strangulated neck.

According to the SSP, police have so far interrogated more than 200 suspects including a public office holder as of Tuesday. He said police have conducted the investigation in various methods to collect all the evidence in order to confirm the perpetrator of the crime. 

Police on Tuesday evening had said the perpetrator could be made public in two or three days or perhaps less than that as there were only a few tests left and may not have to go that far to match the DNA test.

Police have also sent the vaginal swab of the deceased to a forensic lab in Kathmandu, on February 8.

Various political parties, institutions including the National Human Rights Commission and National Women Commission have been pressurising security agencies to conclude the investigation as soon as possible and bring justice to the victim’s family.