KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 6

A woman, who had burnt herself last Sunday evening outside the house of her ex-fiancé, died yesterday morning. The woman had burnt herself just a few days after the boy's side broke off the engagement.

Pushpa Neupane, 27, of Baneshwor-10, who met the sad end, had poured petrol on her body and torched herself at around 7:00pm just outside her former fiancé Sudhan Sangraula's house in Dhumbarahi.

The family of the deceased told the police that she had gone to the house after receiving a call from the boy to collect her gifts and money that they had received in the engagement held on September 3.

Pushpa, who worked at Kelme brand showroom at Durbar Marg, had met Sudhan more than a year ago after the latter came to her showroom.

They had grown fond of each other after chatting on Facebook and soon fell in love. Sudhan, used to stay in China during that period and before the COVID pandemic. He currently runs a showroom in New Road.

It is unknown why the engagement was broken. Police, quoting the family of the deceased, said that the boy had affairs with other girls.

However, the relationship between two was not smooth as they continued to patch up and break up upon the intervention of family members. Ultimately, both the family members and the couple had agreed to get engaged in a ceremony.

On the evening of December 4, the parents of Sudhan had called Pushpa's parents saying someone outside their house burnt herself and she looked like Pushpa. It was Pushpa's family who informed the police about the incident as she was rescued by the police and taken to Kirtipur based Burn Hospital, where she succumbed to injuries.

Parents of the deceased have filed FIR against four members of the Sangraula family accusing them of abetting the suicide.

Kathmandu District Court, however, has given permission to keep only the boy in five-day police remand. Pushpa's family has also asked the police to investigate the incident suspecting foul play in her death.

They have charged that Sudhan and the family not only piled pressure on Pushpa to kill herself, but became mere spectators while she was trying to burn herself.

Pushpa's family has also asked the police to investigate mobile messages, and chat history on social media.

The Criminal Code Act 2017 has criminalised abatement to suicide as a crime that can result in jail sentence of five years and Rs 50,000 fine.

Metropolitan Police Circle, Maharajgunj, and Kathmandu Police Range are investigating the case.

A version of this article appears in the print on December 7, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.