A quiet village of Dhodlekhani in Bhojpur, a hill district of Koshi province, was shaken to its core on Saturday night by a brutal act of violence that left four members of a family dead. The horrifying incident happened in ward 2 of Ram Prasad Rai Rural Municipality, where a love story ended in a cold-blooded murder.

Thirty-year-old Rajendra Rai, a resident of ward 2 of Bhojpur Municipality, allegedly killed his wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law in a violent outburst that police believe was triggered by ongoing family tensions over his marriage.

Rajendra had married 16-year-old Manisha Giri about nine months ago in a love marriage that defied caste norms. Despite their hopes, the inter-caste union was not well received by Manisha’s family. According to police, Rajendra had been staying at his in-laws’ house for several days, attempting to take Manisha back home with him. But her family reportedly refused to send her, leading to increasing tension.

“Rajendra was determined to take his wife back, by any means. That determination turned deadly on Saturday night, when a heated argument escalated into a physical confrontation,” said an investigation officer.

According to Deputy Inspector General of Nepal Police Ishwar Karki, chief of Koshi Province Police Office, Rajendra told the investigation officer that he was first attacked with a knife by his in-laws. “The suspect claimed that he managed to snatch the knife and used it to stab four of them to death,” said Karki.

Police identified the deceased as 68-year-old Bel Bahadur Giri (Manisha’s father), 45-year-old Manju Giri (mother), nine-year-old Sapan Giri (brother), and Manisha herself. After the murders, the suspect, covered in blood and injured himself, called the police and confessed: I have killed people. Come and arrest me. When police arrived at the scene, they found Rajendra with a deep stab wound in his abdomen. He alleged the injury was inflicted by his in-laws during the altercation.

Police took Rajendra to Bhojpur District Hospital who was later referred to BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan for further treatment.

The local community is in mourning. The gruesome crime has left Dhodlekahani stunned and traumatised. The bodies were first taken to the district hospital in Bhojpur, but due to the lack of forensic facilities, they were later transferred to BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan for autopsy, scheduled for Monday.

Rajendra is a construction worker living in a rented room in Bhojpur district headquarters. He came from a modest economic background and had been in conflict with the Giri family after marrying for love. No one had imagined that the dispute would escalate to such a deadly extent. “It appears that the inter-caste marriage and the family's rejection afterwards were the main reasons that led to such a heinous act of murder,” said DIG Karki.