KATHMANDU: A youth has been remanded in judicial custody, charged with the murder of his girlfriend and dumping her body into the Kaligandaki River.

The murder suspect has been identified as Pradip Parajuli (23) of Barrachaur area in Bihadi Rural Municipality-2 of Parbat district. He allegedly killed his girlfriend Kamala Sharma (22) of Jaimini Municipality in Baglung district.

According to police, Parajuli and Sharma were in a romantic relationship until the latter informed the former of being pregnant on January 19. The couple had met at the Purtighat Bailey Bridge over the river where Parajuli strangled Sharma with her own shawl and threw her body into the river, Parajuli confessed to police, as reported in Rastriya Samachar Samiti.

Following the incident, the family members of Parajuli handed him over to police after he proclaimed himself murderer. Thereafter, police had filed a murder case against him in the district court.

A single bench of Justice Dhruba Prasad Sapkota at the Parbat District Court on Monday remanded Parajuli to judicial custody.

Likewise, the family members of Sharma had also filed a missing person complaint for Sharma at the Baglung District Police Office on January 24.

With the joint efforts of various police units under the District Police Offices in Baglung, Parbat and Gulmi, body of Sharma was recovered from Ghumaune in Kaligandaki Rural Municipality-4 of Gulmi district on January 31.