A 35-year-old man, Sujan Koirala, allegedly murdered his ex-wife and two step-daughters at his house at Milijulipath in Ward 11 of Butwal Sub-metropolitan City.

The man reportedly used a knife and a hammer to kill the two children, seven-year-old Sneha and four-year-old Himani, and their mother, 34-year-old Dipa Basyal. They were found dead in Koirala’s house on Wednesday morning.

According to Superintendent Pradip Bahadur Khatri of the District Police Office, Rupandehi, Koirala had invited the victims to his house and attacked them with sharp weapons. Following his arrest from the residence, police have launched a deeper probe.

Dipa and Sujan were married in 2012, police said. Koirala was arrested on charges of murdering his elder brother, Sudip Koirala, the same year. This incident affected their matrimonial relationship and Basyal divorced Koirala three years later.

Basyal then married Shankar Dhakal, a resident of Kawasoti in Nawalparasi East. Dhakal, who is currently employed in Dubai, was the biological father of the two daughters.

Basyal used to work as a health worker at the Primary Health Care Centre in Tansen, Palpa. She had gone to Butwal on Tuesday to attend a relative’s wedding ceremony. In the meantime, her ex-husband had asked them to visit his house at Milijuli road.

According to the police, the victims had stayed in the house overnight and were murdered at 4 the next morning.

According to a neighbour, Koirala was released after serving nine years in jail, with a presidential pardon on Constitution Day in 2021. After being released, he got involved in the trade of materials made in prisons. Police are now coordinating with the Palpa authorities to verify his prison records and pardon details.

The bodies were sent to Lumbini Provincial Hospital for post-mortem. Rumours had circulated of Basyal and Koirala’s frequent visits over the past year. Police said Koirala had no mental health issues.

Family members of Basyal, however, said that despite being aware of her travel to Butwal for her niece’s wedding, they had no idea that she was going to stay at her ex-husband’s on Tuesday.