Kathmandu, February 25
A court has extended the custody of three individuals arrested in connection with the suspicious death of Rinkukumari Sada of Bhagwatipur, Nawarajpur Rural Municipality-1, Siraha.
On Sunday, Siraha police detained eight individuals on charges of holding a panchayat (community meeting) to suppress the case. Among them, three were found to have played a suspicious role, leading to further investigation.
On Monday, the police presented them before the Siraha District Court, seeking an extension of their custody for further inquiry. The court approved a five-day extension, according to Siraha SP Ramesh Pandit.
The detained individuals are identified as Chandeshwar Mandal (approximately 84), Ram Vinod Mandal (45), and Kamlesh Kumar Das (45), all residents of Bhagwatipur. They are accused of facilitating a financial settlement through the panchayat to cover up the case. The police have been investigating them while keeping them in custody at the Area Police Office in Lahan.
Earlier, on February 20, the victim’s family filed four separate cases against eight individuals.
Rinku was found hanging inside her house on February 12. However, two days earlier, on February 9, she had gone missing for six hours after stepping outside to use the toilet at night.
According to the victim’s family, she was found unconscious at home around 3 AM on February 10. They claim that during her disappearance, three local youths abducted and gang-raped her.
Rinku had disclosed the sexual assault during a panchayat meeting. Police investigations have confirmed that the meeting was held to suppress the case and involved financial negotiations to settle the matter.
