A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of 18-year-old popular Magar cine artist Yaruna Pun, alias Neha Pun.

Kaski Police on Monday made public Kirtan Khadgi, 21, alias Satish, a resident of the same village of Pun, charging him with the murder of Pun. Superintendent of Police Hari Bahadur Pal said they arrested Khadgi after identifying that he had murdered Neha. “It has been proved that Neha died because of blunt-force trauma in her head,” said Pal.

Police said that they had arrested the accused after a detailed investigation. Neha’s body was found wrapped in a black cloth near her house at Nayagaun, Pokhara-15 last Tuesday. Neha was working at Pokhara-based Smile Cafe and had acted in Magar films Gaula and Yupa.

SP Pal informed reporters that during interrogation Khadgi, a pool house operator, had admitted to have killed Pun in a fit of rage. Neha was enjoying with her friends at a local restaurant in Newroad on Tuesday evening. After the gathering, Khadgi had taken Neha to her home on his motorcycle. Drunken Khadgi had proposed Neha stay at a lakeside hotel for a night.

“However, she refused and abused him verbally. It has been established that Khadgi had hit Neha with his motorcycle helmet and killed her,” said SP Pal.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people gathered in front of the District Police Office, Gairhapatan on Monday, demanding stern action against the guilty.