Kathmandu, December 23

Nirmala Tamang, 26, a helper in Nepal Police, who was working as a domestic help in the residence of Deputy Inspector General Niraj Bahadur Shahi and his wife Senior Superintendent of Police Deuti Gurung, died under mysterious circumstances on Friday.

DIG Shahi is the director of Central Investigation Bureau, while SSP Gurung heads Maharajgunj-based Central Police Dog Training School. According to a police source, Tamang died while receiving treatment at the Nepal Police Hospital, Maharajgunj, after ‘showing signs of chronic mental disturbance in the couple’s residence’ at Kiran Chowk, Baluwatar.

According to DIG Shahi, Nirmala had started showing signs of depression and mental disorder after she got married about eight months ago. Nirmala, a permanent resident of Taadi Rural Municipality, Nuwakot, had married Raju Thapa Magar of Damauli, Tanahun, in April.

According to her mother Krishna Maya Ghalan Tamang, Nirmala’s husband left for Dubai to work only 18 days after their marriage.

“After her husband left for Dubai, she started behaving in a weird way and would cry saying somebody was attacking her from behind, pulling her hair and dragging her,” DIG Shahi told THT.  Even on the day of her death, she had visited a shaman. “On returning home, she vomited profusely and was rushed to police hospital, where she breathed her last at 4:45pm,” Shahi added.

The certificate issued by the hospital stated the cause of her death was ‘seizure disorder and drug overdose (poisoning)’. However, DIG Shahi said he was unaware that Nirmala was under medication.

According to the source, Nirmala was appointed to the post of police helper at the Central Police Dog Training School by DIG Shahi and SSP Gurung themselves nine years ago. Before that Nirmala used to work as a housemaid with the couple’s close relative.

Though her recent posting was in Dog School, Surkhet, the source said, Nirmala, spent most of her time in DIG Shahi and SSP Gurung’s house.

DIG Shahi claimed Nirmala was assigned to his residence by the Security Division at Nepal Police Headquarters one-and-a-half years ago.