Four arrested for assault, sexual abuse in Khotang

Khotang, May 10

Police in Khotang yesterday arrested a hotel operator and three others on charges of physical and sexual abuse of a female worker and her daughter.

Diktel-based Hotel Shubhadin’s operator Hari Prasad Acharya, Managing Director Dipnarayan Rijal’s son Kabiraj Rijal, his wife Kopiladevi Rijal, and hotel worker Tilak Karki were arrested yesterday night for their involvement in assault and sexual abuse of a female worker from Dorpachiuridanda and her three-year-old daughter.

According to DSP Bidhyanand Majhi, a case has been filed against Hari Prasad, Kabiraj, and Tilak. “As for the woman, we’ve kept her in detention for interrogation,” the DSP said.

Following the alleged attempts of the hotelier to gloss over the thrashing and sexual abuse case by forcing the victim to sign a conciliatory document, district police office swung into action to arrest the accused perpetrators following the directive of National Human Rights Commission.

Citing the reconciliation attempts made by the perpetrators on Thursday a week after the case of abuse of the mother and daughter came to light, a joint team of NHRC and police rescued the duo from their rented apartment near Kumari Movies in Diktel on Sunday.

Police have said that the victim has filed a case against the perpetrators claiming that she was locked up in a room and physically and sexually abused after being accused of ‘stealing a mobile phone from a customer’.

Originally from Kathmandu, the woman came to Khotang about three-and-a-half years ago after marriage to a man from Khotang.

Her husband later abandoned the woman and their daughter, and she sought shelter in the Diktel-based Balsewa Samaj of Nerpa.