A two-year-old girl was found dead in suspicious circumstances in Shambhunath Municipality-3 of Saptari district on Sunday, with police focusing their investigation on her stepmother.
Khushi Khatun, daughter of Mohammad Irfan, had been playing outside her home near the East-West Highway at around 9:45 am when she went missing, according to police and family members.
After relatives and locals failed to locate her, they informed the Area Police Office in Rupani. A search involving police, family members and local residents later found the girl’s body lying face down in bushes behind her house.
Police sent the body for a postmortem examination.
District Police Office spokesperson Deputy Superintendent of Police Hemraj Ghimire said the girl’s stepmother, Muskan Khatun, had been detained following preliminary investigation.
“Preliminary investigation suggests there was a domestic dispute between them,” Ghimire said. “Muskan Khatun, the girl’s stepmother, has been detained and further investigation is under way.”
The girl’s mother, Rubina Khatun, has accused Muskan of killing her daughter and dumping her body in the bushes. Police have not publicly confirmed the allegation.
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