NUWAKOT: Nuwakot District Police Office (DPO) on Monday filed a murder case with the district court against Rajiv Tamang arrested on charges of detonating an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting candidates of the recently held elections to the House of Representatives and State Assemblies.

Tamang (32) of Thanapati in Likhu Rural Municipality-6, Nuwakot, who is associated with the youth organisation run by the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal, has been accused of setting off an IED in Kakani in the district targeting election candidates Dr Ram Sharan Mahat and Ramesh Mahat during the polls, said Basanta Kunwar, Chief of Nuwakot DPO.

Preliminary investigations show that Tamang’s role was to take the IED with him and detonate it at the incident site, the police have asserted. Five people had been injured in the explosion that was targeted at the Mahat-duo.

Tamang was brought into custody after police found proof of his presence at the incident site in Thanabhanjyang, Kakani through the obtained details of his cell phone from mobile network provider, where police suspects Tamang had gone to detonate the IED. Further proof is in the process of being collected to back his involvement in the case, according to police.

Tamang has also been charged with detonating IED in Kathmandu targeting election candidate Gagan Kumar Thapa during the polls.

Tamang was arrested by the Kathmandu police and was later handed over to the Nuwakot district police.

Earlier, the Kathmandu police had filed a murder case against Tamang with the district court on the same charges. However, he was later released on bail. Nuwakot police chief Kunwar added that Tamang was brought to Nuwakot after discovering his involvement in the Nuwakot explosion case.

A search has been launched for other eight suspects involved in the Kakani explosion, the police added.

After being brought into custody on the charge of murder, the police is also getting ready to file the case against the criminals at the District Administration Office.