Missing Armed Police Officer and Woman Found Dead in Kavre Forest After Nearly a Month

Two people who had been missing for nearly a month, including an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of the Armed Police Force, have been found dead in a community forest in Kavrepalanchok district, police said.

The deceased have been identified as Shakti Ram of Bahudarmai-8, Ramnagari in Parsa district, and 26-year-old Sharmila Chaudhary of Ghodaghodi Municipality-1 in Kailali.

According to DSP Rabin Bista, spokesperson for the District Police Office, Dhulikhel, Ram was posted at the Armed Police Force’s 15th Headquarters in Panchkhal.

Their bodies were found hanging from separate nooses tied to the same mahua tree in Thuli Community Forest, Panchkhal Municipality-3. Police said the bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition, suggesting the deaths occurred several days earlier.

“The two were found hanging from separate nooses on the same tree. Apart from parts of the head, much of the bodies had decomposed and fallen to the ground,” DSP Bista said.

The bodies were discovered at around 10:30 am on Wednesday after members of the forest committee spotted them while conducting a routine inspection related to pine resin collection and informed the police.

Investigators said the identities of the deceased were confirmed through clothing, documents recovered from the scene, and verification with family members and acquaintances.

Both families had previously filed missing-person reports.

Police said Shakti Ram had gone on a two-day leave effective from Baisakh 19. Preliminary investigations indicate that Sharmila Chaudhary left home on Baisakh 18, telling her family that she was travelling to Kavrepalanchok to meet Ram.

After the pair lost contact, Ram’s family submitted a search request to the Armed Police Force’s 15th Headquarters in Panchkhal on Baisakh 21. Similarly, Sharmila’s brother, Ranjit Chaudhary, filed a missing-person report at the Balaju Police Circle on Baisakh 25.

Police said further investigation is ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The bodies have been sent to Dhulikhel Hospital for post-mortem examinations, according to the District Police Office in Kavrepalanchok.