Kavre, May 7

Police investigating the murder of Sarita Dulal of Sipaghat in Mandan Deupur Municipality, Kavre, have exposed the complicity of her own family members in the crime.

Though Sarita’s husband Sudip has pleaded guilty to committing the murder, police, in view of the nature of the incident, have continued with the investigation by keeping her in-laws also in custody.

“As our investigation has indicated the complicity of other members of the family as well, we’ve sought an extension of their remand and are investigating them,” said DSP Dipak Giri of District Police Office.

Earlier, upon learning about her ‘death’ under mysterious circumstances, Sarita’s brother Krishna Prasad Dahal of Mandan Deupur Municipality, Chainpur, citing the nature of the incident, had filed an FIR with the police the same day, claiming the case was a murder.

Sarita was found dead in her own home with bruises around her neck on April 26. Investigation has revealed that the murder was reported one day after it happened.

“The case was doubtful from a number of viewpoints. While the husband was missing when she was found dead, the finding of the body on floor above where she stayed with bruises on her neck and the time taken to report the incident all indicated foul play,” said Sarita’s brother.

Acting on the FIR, police arrested Sarita’s husband Sudip, and parents-in-law Pitambar and Ganga, brother-in-law Keshav and his wife Sangita on the same day. Though missing from home when the incident was reported, police managed to round him up when he was preparing to leave the village after the FIR was filed by the victim’s brother.

They are still being investigation.

Given the suspicious nature of the incident, police had the post-mortem of the body conducted in Kathmandu.

The post-mortem report is said to have pointed to the hand of other people besides the husband in the murder.

Sudip and Sarita had tied the knot four years ago. Sudip has been a mental patient for the past two years. Though the couple was living under the same roof with their parents, they had a separate kitchen.

Earlier, the local women, on April 30, had taken out a demonstration in Dhulikhel seeking fair investigation into the death.