In Brief:

• 46-year-old shopkeeper Rajeshwar Puri found dead in Barahathwa Municipality-7
• Family alleges he may have been killed after attending a feast
• Suspicions raised over debts owed by customers at his shop
• Police investigation ongoing, post-mortem to determine cause of death

SARLAHI, AUGUST 24 The death of a 46-year-old grocery shopkeeper found beneath a culvert in Sarlahi has raised suspicion after his family alleged that he may have been killed while returning from a feast on Sunday night. Rajeshwar Puri, a resident of Bhagwatipur in Barahathwa Municipality-3 who ran a grocery shop in Tinghariya, was discovered dead in a drain beneath a culvert on Monday morning. He had attended a Chhathiyar feast in the village the previous night. Puri had attended a Chhathiyar feast in the village on Sunday night. Family members alleged that Puri may have been killed after being made to drink at the feast and suspected the involvement of people who owed money at his shop. However, police have not confirmed the death as a homicide. A team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Gopi Krishna Subedi of the Area Police Office, Barahathwa, reached the site and began an investigation. Police said preliminary findings did not immediately indicate foul play. Puri's body has been sent to the Provincial Hospital in Malangwa for post-mortem examination, with the actual cause of death to be established after the report. The investigation is ongoing.