Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa has refuted the rumors alleging the police of staging a 'fake encounter' to kill the 'kidnappers' involved in the abduction and murder of an 11-year-old boy in Bhaktapur on Monday.

The Home Minister backed out of his earlier promise to look into the details of the incident in which two suspected kidnappers were killed. In a meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of Parliament on Thursday, Home Minister Thapa had assured government investigation into the matter after questions were raised over the handling of the case by security personnel.

Speaking to journalists during a press meet organised at Bharatpur Airport on Friday, Minister Thapa claimed the police were able to subdue the alleged kidnappers and murderers of Nishan Khadka,11, within 24 hours.

Minister Thapa said that as per the information received at the Home Ministry the perpetrators were killed during an encounter with the police. “The allegation that police team created a fake encounter is baseless,” said Minister Thapa.

On August 5, 11-year-old Khadka was allegedly abducted by Ajay Tamang (24) of Nuwakot, and Gopal Tamang (23) of Sindhupalchok, from Kandaghari, Kathmandu on Sunday and demanded Rs 4m in ransom from his mother Chameli Khadka. The child was later murdered following which the police killed the duo in an 'encounter' at Doleshwor forest, Bhaktapur on Monday afternoon.

Police had recovered the body of Khadka buried in a pit dug for laying the foundation of an under-constitution house belonging to local Shyam Rawat in Madhyapur Thimi, at around 12:30 pm on Monday.

Questions have been raised over the motive of security teams after local residents reported the accused kidnappers were captured from a room in Nagadesh, Bhaktapur before being shot in Doleshwor.