Police on Sunday made public the suspect of the Sankhuwasabha mass murder.

The suspect, whom police identified as 25-year-old Lok Bahadur Karki, has admitted to the killing of six members of a family at Kholagaun in Madi Municipality-1 on September 6, police said.

“Investigation shows that Lok Bahadur killed Tej Bahadur Karki and five of his family members because of his personal vendetta against the family,” said Arun BC, deputy inspector general of Nepal Police (DIG) at Province 1 Police Office.

Lok Bahadur is a relative of the victims—the grandson of Tej Bahadur’s late uncle—and their houses are at a distance of around 150 metres.

Fifty-five-year-old Tej Bahadur, his 50-year old wife Manamaya Karki, his 88-year-old mother Parbati Karki, his 25-year-old daughter-in-law Ranjana Karki, and his two grandchildren aged 11 and three were found murdered on September 6.

“Lok Bahadur has confessed to the crime. On the morning of September 6, he admittedly waylaid Tej Bahadur outside his house and bludgeoned him to death with a firewood plank. When Tej Bahadur’s wife and daughter-in-law [ Manamaya and Ranjana] reached the incident site, he killed them as well fearing that they might disclose the crime,” said BC during a press meet at the Area Police Office in Chainpur.

“Lok Bahadur then went on to kill Tej Bahadur’s grandchildren Bipin and Goma who too had reached the incident site before entering the victims’ home and killing 84-year-old Parbati.”

Lok Bahadur’s father is disabled. Tej Bahadur, according to investigation officers, used to frequently visit Lok Bahadur’s family as a guardian since Tej Bahadur’s uncle, before his demise a few years ago, had asked him to look after his family.

According to BC, Tej Bahadur had visited the suspect’s house the day before the incident.

“Tej Bahadur had reportedly chided Lok Bahadur and his brother that day for being lazy. Lok Bahadur apparently did not take to the scolding kindly and decided to exact revenge on Tej Bahadur,” BC said.

Tej Bahadur was an ordinary farmer whose two sons were abroad for employment. Lok Bahadur had also gone to Qatar in 2014 and 2019 and to Malaysia in 2016. But he had returned empty handed.

Different police teams led by DIG BC from Province 1 Police Office in Biratnagar, SP Bhim Dahal of Area Police Office in Dharan, DSP Rugam Kunwar of Central Investigation Bureau and DSP of Sankhuwasabha Laldhwaj Subedi are investigating the incident.

The security personnel have recovered a blood-stained shirt of Lok Bahadur.

“We have taken the suspect in custody at the District Police Office in Sankhuwasabha. A case will be filed against him soon. Further investigation is underway,” said Subedi.