Police on Wednesday recovered the body of Rana Bahadur Gharti, who was believed to have been  involved in the abduction and murder of Dang-based businessman Raj Kumar Shrestha, from the same forest in Salyan where Shrestha’s body was recovered on June 30. 

SP Dhiraj Pratap Singh at the District Police Office, Dang, said the body of 28-year-old Rana Bahadur was discovered in the Jhimpe Lek Bhanjyang Jungle, 200 metres away from the spot where Shrestha’s body was found.

Rana Bahadur’s body was located based on statements of the accused. Police have so far arrested 10 people in connection to the incident; six of them were captured on Tuesday. 

SP Singh said contrary to what they had suspected earlier Rana Bahadur and Shrestha had no connection, nor had they left for Salyan together.

Both men had disappeared on the night of June 9, leading the investigators to suspect that the duo was traveling together in Shrestha’s car when the abduction took place.

But when kidnappers contacted only Shrestha’s family for ransom, Rana Bahadur was put on the suspect list, SP Singh said.

Shrestha’s body was discovered on June 30; however, there was still no sign of Rana Bahadur, furthering police doubt about Rana Bahadur’s possible involvement in Shrestha’s abduction and subsequent murder. That was until police arrested six other accused including the three main suspects, Man Bahadur Bhandari, Tikaram Gharti and Puja Gharti on Tuesday. 

The accused have admitted to police that Rana Bahadur, who was traveling in a vehicle with the Indian licence plate (HP 118648), was captured before Shrestha from Kapurkot in Salyan.  

Rana Bahadur was reportedly traveling to Rukum along with four Indian men when the kidnappers intercepted their vehicle apparently mistaking it for Shrestha’s car.

The kidnappers and Rana Bahadur had apparently served time in a same prison in the past and knew one another well. 

Rana Bahadur was detained by the kidnappers while his four companions were told to get off from the vehicle and leave, investigation has revealed.

The four Indian men were questioned by police and allowed to return to their home in India after it was found that they had nothing to do with the incident.

Rana Bahadur was murdered because he had identified the kidnappers and learnt about their plan to abduct Shrestha, SP Singh said.

Shrestha, who was driving alone in his car (Ba 11 Cha 1071), is believed to have been abducted moments after Rana Bahadur was captured.

They were murdered an hour apart, SP Singh said.