Kathmandu, February 24

A 20-year-old woman masterminded the murder of her father over dowry and her love marriage with a man from a different community.

The Metropolitan Police Crime Division made this startling revelation after the arrest of Sangita Maharjan Pandey (victim’s daughter), her husband Santosh Pandey (20) of Tokha, Kathmandu and hitmen Bikram Tamang (19) and Santosh Thapa Magar (19) of Dhading, Surya Rana Mangar (19) of Makwanpur, Dhan Kumar Tamang (19) of Bhojpur and Hari Tamang (19) of Kavre.

They were rounded up from different places of Kathmandu yesterday.

The MPCD had launched an all-out investigation after Maila Maharjan (43) of Dhamtar, Toka Municipality-11 was found near the Sangle Khola in the area with multiple injuries on February 4.

According to preliminary investigation report prepared by the MPCD, Sangita in cahoots with Santosh (her husband) premeditated the murder of her father and hired four hitmen with the promise of paying them one million rupees.

“After they discussed the modus operandi of the murder, Sangita called her father to Star Town Planning area in Tokha at around 6:30 pm on February 3, saying some prospective clients of his land were there.

As Maila arrived there, Sangita threw sand in his eyes and Bikram, Surya, Dhan Kumar and Hari hit him with the weapons on the head, face, chest, abdomen and other parts of the body,” said SSP Sarbenra Khanal, MPCD in-charge.

The body was found the next day. It has also been found that Sangita had been making a plan to gradually kill her mother and elder brother and register all property belonging to them in her name.

Maila was not in good terms with Sangita after she married Santosh, who originally hails from Nuwakot, without her family’s consent two years back.

Sangita repeatedly asked her father for Rs 400,000 as a dowry to run a beauty parlour, but Maila turned down her request on grounds of her voluntary marriage with a person of a different community.

Officials said she had also stolen a land registration certificate issued in the name of her mother and gave it to her husband to produce it as a guarantee seven months ago. But she returned it to her mother after the idea didn’t help her secure loan.

She has conceded to masterminding the murder of her father. Sangita, her husband and four others have been charged with murder.