Kathmandu, July 8: Nepal Police has formed a new investigation team to reinvestigate the 2018 rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Pant, nearly eight years after the crime shocked the nation and exposed serious flaws in the country’s criminal justice system.
The new committee, led by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Krishna Pangeni, has already begun work. A team has also been deployed to Kanchanpur, where Pant was found murdered on July 26, 2018 (Shrawan 10, 2075). Police spokesperson and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Binod Narayan Kafle said the panel comprises 14 officers.
The case remains Nepal Police’s most resource intensive criminal investigation, involving hundreds of officers, multiple inquiry committees, and extensive forensic examinations. Despite those efforts, the killer has never been identified, leaving a lasting stain on the force’s credibility. Eight Inspectors General of Police have served since the murder, but none has solved the case.
Police initially arrested Dilip Singh Bista and publicly identified him as the prime suspect. However, he was later released after DNA tests failed to match samples collected from the victim. The arrest triggered widespread protests in Kanchanpur, during which police fatally shot a local youth, Sani Khunna.
Although DNA evidence cleared Bista, several officers involved in the original investigation continue to argue that he should remain under scrutiny. Former Kanchanpur Police Chief Dilliraj Bista recently reiterated that investigators should continue examining his possible involvement. Nirmala’s mother, Durga Devi Pant, who initially doubted Bista’s role, later filed a formal complaint accusing him of the crime.
The role of DNA evidence has also come under renewed scrutiny. A committee led by former National Forensic Science Laboratory chief and DNA expert Jeevan Rijal concluded that errors occurred during the collection of vaginal swab samples, making it impossible to identify the perpetrator through DNA alone. The panel submitted its findings to the Ministry of Home Affairs, effectively closing the DNA aspect of the investigation.
The new team has said it will rely on previous reports and available evidence while focusing on non DNA based investigative methods. According to an officer involved in the probe, investigators now believe other forms of evidence may offer the best chance of solving one of Nepal’s longest running unsolved murder cases.
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