Panchthar/Sunsari, May 22

A team of Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police arrived in Miklajung Rural Municipality of Panchthar today, where nine persons were murdered on Monday night, apparently by a relative who seems to have committed suicide subsequently.

The CIB team headed by SP Uma Chaturbedi has five other members. “We’ve started investigation by visiting the incident sites and are discussing the incident with locals,” said the SP, adding that every small detail related to the incident will be investigated to find the truth behind the murder.

On Monday, nine members of the families of Bam Kumar Phiyak and his son-in-law Dhanaraj Sherma were hacked to death at midnight in Arubote in Miklajong Rural Municipality. Investigation into the case became difficult after the person suspected to have been behind the murders was found to have committed suicide. “The investigation is likely to require huge effort, at least to establish whether the suspect, who killed himself, committed all the murders on his own or got help from others,” said the investigating team leader Chaturbedi.

While post-mortem of the bodies including that of murder suspect Man Bahadur Makhim have been conducted at Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health and Sciences, treatment of one of Bam Bahadur’s grandchildren, Sita Khajum, aged 12, who escaped unhurt, is under way at LifeLine Hospital.

According to Miklajong Rural Municipality Chairperson Amar Makhim, preparations are on for a collective cremation of the bodies tomorrow in the village that has been left  in utter shock and terror in the wake of the massacre.

Meanwhile, kin of the murder victims have sought fair investigation, suspecting involvement of more than one person in the incident and citing a failed attempt on the life of the now-dead family members in the past too. They have also blamed police negligence for the murders.

“On May 13, three persons, including Man Bahadur had conspired to kill Bam Kumar and Dhanaraj’s families by spiking their food with salt laced with fine glass shards. Though an FIR was filed against Man Bahadur, Chandra Kurungwang and Sunil Phiyak, police didn’t take the incident seriously, hence the recent annihilation,” said Misak Phiyak, a relative of the victims.

Locals have linked the murders to refusal of Man Bahadur’s wife Mana Kumari to oblige her husband with divorce. She had long been staying with her parents leaving her husband alone.

“As the incident has created terror among villagers, it should be investigated fairly to establish whether the son-in-law was involved in their massacre as suspected by the police, and if yes, whether he did it on his own or had others to help him,” said Ward Chair Hastaraj Phiyak of Miklajog Rural Municipality.