The family of the 17-year-old girl raped and murdered in Dogadakedar Rural Municipality-7, Baitadi, is still clueless about the identity of the perpetrator/s even after 11 days of the heinous crime.

The victim’s family has been anxiously waiting for the police to detain the culprit/s involved in the crime. They have refused to receive her body unless the authorities arrested the perpetrators.

“All of them say that the perpetrators will be arrested soon. But I don’t have a lot of faith in them. What if my daughter’s case goes unsolved like that of Nirmala Pant,” said Dropati, the victim’s mother.

This incident comes as a grim reminder of yet another similar case in the region. On July 27, 2018, Nirmala Pant, 13, was found dead in Kanchanpur. Police concluded that someone had raped and killed her. But until now, they are yet to identify and arrest the culprit(s).

Shivaraj Bhatta, the uncle of the 17-year-old victim, said they are worried that the perpetrators could go unpunished as in the case of Pant.

“It’s already been 11 days now. But nothing has been revealed so far,” he said.

The teenager had gone to school on February 3 but never returned home. Her body was found in a forest at Chadepani in Dogadakedar-7. She was a 12th grader at Sanatan Dharma Secondary School in Khochlek, Ward No. 3 of the rural municipality.

Meanwhile, the police claim that they will make public the perpetrators soon.

“The investigation has been narrowed now. All of the evidence has been kept safely. This case will not go unsolved like that of Nirmala Pant,” said Uttamraj Subedi, DIG of Sudurpaschim Province.