KAPILVASTU, AUGUST 9
Former mayor of Kapilvastu Municipality Kiran Singh, who had been missing for three days, was found dead in a forest in Kapilvastu on Sunday, with police launching an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Singh, 65, had gone missing on Friday while working on a commercial agricultural farm in Dhakeri of Buddhbhumi Municipality. He reportedly lost his way inside the Tilaurakot Partnership Forest and could not be contacted.
A large-scale search operation involving Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and the Nepali Army, along with trained sniffer dogs, drones, local residents and Singh's well-wishers, had been underway since Friday.
His body was found on Sunday afternoon inside the forest, about one kilometre from the Dhakeri picnic spot along the Mahendra Highway, according to police.
Police said the body was located about 800 metres from the area where Singh is believed to have lost his way. His motorcycle, bearing registration number Lu Pra 01-013 Pa 7970, had been left along the road.
A specialised team, including forensic experts, lawyers, journalists and security personnel, has been deployed to examine the scene and determine the circumstances of his death.
Police have not yet established whether Singh was killed, died after an encounter with a wild animal, or took his own life.
"We cannot say at this stage whether he was called into the forest as part of a plan to kill him, attacked by a wild animal or died by suicide," Kapilvastu Police Superintendent Manohar Bhatt said.
He said police were conducting a comprehensive investigation into the body, crime scene and other aspects of the incident.
"We are investigating all possible angles and will uncover the truth behind the death," Bhatt said.
Singh had been involved in agricultural farm construction work in Dhakeri before his disappearance.
