A 60-year-old man was found dead early Wednesday morning in Jhapa Rural Municipality–1, hours after he was allegedly tied to a tree by neighbours who claimed he had been drunk and causing disturbance in the area.

According to Jhapa District Police, the deceased, identified as Jatan Soren, had reportedly consumed alcohol and appeared near the house of Mahadev Tudu around 10:30pm on Tuesday night. Soren was allegedly shouting and behaving erratically in the alley beside Tudu’s residence.

In response, Tudu, along with other neighbours, restrained the elderly man by tying him to a mango tree using a plastic rope. When checked at around 4am the next morning, Soren was found unresponsive and later declared dead.

Acting on the report, police were immediately deployed to the scene and have taken four suspects into custody. Those detained include Soren’s 27-year-old son, Antalal Soren, as well as Mahadev Tudu and two other local youths—20-year-old Lukhiram Tudu and 21-year-old Lakhiram Tudu.

Khagendra Bahadur Khadka, spokesperson for Jhapa district police, said investigations are ongoing and that other individuals believed to have been involved in the incident are currently on the run. A manhunt has been launched to locate and apprehend the remaining suspects.