Married Couple Found Murdered in Okhaldhunga

A married couple has been murdered in Okhaldhunga district.

According to the Okhaldhunga District Police Office, 60-year-old Shobhitman Thapa Magar and his wife Ratnamaya Thapa Magar of Chisankhugadhi Rural Municipality–6, Bhadoure, were killed on Tuesday night.

When the couple did not come out of their house until late morning, neighbors became worried and started searching. They called out to them from outside but got no response. After entering the house, the neighbors found both husband and wife dead.

A police team led by Inspector Bikram Bahadur Bhattarai from the Okhaldhunga District Police Office has reached the scene to investigate. Initial police investigations suggest that the couple was killed using a sharp weapon.

Inspector Bhattarai said that trained sniffer dogs were brought from the Koshi Province Police Office’s canine unit in Dharan to help with the investigation. The dogs arrived at night, and some investigation was carried out then. Further investigation has continued since morning.

The bodies are still at the crime scene. Police said the couple lived alone, while their children live elsewhere. The bodies will not be removed until the investigation with the trained dogs is completed.

So far, it is not clear who committed the murder or why. Police said they are investigating the case from all possible angles and are keeping some suspicious individuals under surveillance. No arrests have been made yet.

A similar murder had occurred a few months ago in Siddhicharan Municipality–4, Charkhuki, where 52-year-old Ratnakumari Katwal Karki was killed inside her home. The suspect in that case has also not been identified yet, despite police using trained dogs during the investigation.