The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has concluded that 41-year-old Dilip Singh, who had earlier served 9-year prison term on a murder charge, was the man behind the rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Panta, of Bhimdutta Municipality-2, Kanchanpur.

According to the CIB, Singh approached Panta by offering to help her fix the slipped chain of bicycle that she was riding to get to her friend’s house and then raped her before strangling her to death after she started shouting for help.

The 13-year-old girl was raped and murdered at Nimbukheda of Bhimdatta Municipality-18 in Kanchanpur on July 26. The victim was found lying on a sugarcane farm on the side of Mahandranagar-Ultakham road. Nirmala had gone missing since she left home to see her friend. Police identified the deceased after her bicycle was spotted on the roadside farm.

A team of CIB officials comprising of DSP Angur Joshi, Inspector Bijay Sapkota and Sub-Inspector Dharmendra Rai had reached Kanchanpur to probe the incident. The team had asked the Kanchanpur-based district Jail for records of prior offenders and was monitoring them.

On Sunday, a team of police in civilian clothes saw Singh some 50 metres away from the place where Panta’s cycle was recovered. And when the police team approached the accused he tried to flee the scene and was eventually arrested.

The Kanchanpur District Court, yesterday itself, has extended the remand of Singh and investigation is underway.