While giving their statements to Dailekh police, five Maoist cadres arrested in connection with the Thapa murder case nearly two weeks ago have implicated six more individuals. [break]
The police have not yet disclosed their names.of the additional six involved in one of the most blatant attacks against journalists during the Maoist insurgency.
With the new disclosure, the number of those involved in Thapa´s abduction and murder has now reached 15. Earlier, in a written complaint lodged at Dailekh District Police Office, Thapa´s wife Laxmi had identified only four people as being involved in her husband´s murder.
Of the four identified by Laxmi Thapa, only Lacchi Ram Gharti Magar, a resident of Dwari VDC-1 of Dailekh, has been arrested so far. Four others - Bir Bahadur KC, Nirak Bahadur Gharti Magar, Jay Bahadur Shahi and Hari Lal Pun - were not originally identified by Laxmi. They were arrested on the basis of the preliminary statement given by Lachhi Ram.
CARTOON: RAJESH KC
Three of the accused identified by Laxmi - Bam Bahadur Khadka ´Arun´, Bam Bahadur Khadka ´Mukti´ and Keshav Khadka - are still at large.
According to Inspector Binod Sharma, who is now investigating Thapa´s murder, those whose names have cropped up are living in Kailali, Banke, Bardiya, Surkhet and Kathmandu. “We have failed to arrest them straight away as they are outside Dailekh,” he said.
Khadka duo took voluntary retirement
In yet another disclosure in the Thapa murder case, it has been found that two accused who have the same name of Bam Badhaur Khadka (and distinguished by the pseudonyms Arun and Mukti) had chosen voluntary retirement from the cantonments for Maoist combatants. Earlier, one of them was reported to have been inducted into the national army along with other former rebels.
According to a source, both of the Khadkas had been living in the 6th division contoment at Dasharathpur. Bam Badhaur Khadka aka Arun, whose identification number provided by the United Nations Mission to Nepal (UNMIN) was SK000982, was a platoon commander before he went for voluntary retirement. As per his UNMIN ID card, Arun had gone underground as a rebel on 4 December, 2004.
Bam Badhaur Khadka aka Mukti had gone underground on June 1, 1999. His UNMIN ID number was 014664 and he was battalion vice-commander before taking voluntary retirement.
“Both of them were named categorically in the police complaint filed in the Thapa case but were living in the cantonment without any problems,” said a former rebel commander. “Some of their comrades had raised thier voice regarding the allegations but they did not face any problem because of the party´s support,” he said.
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