Nepalese man arrested for strangling toddler stepson in Solan village

The Solan police have arrested a 32-year-old Nepalese man, Raj Thapa, for allegedly strangling his two-and-a-half-year-old step-son at Salogra village in Solan. He was produced before a local court on Monday to seek his police remand.

Solan Superintendent of Police Sai Dattatreya Varma said that a police team rushed to the village after receiving information about the child’s death from the panchayat pradhan.

During initial inquiry, the child’s mother stated that he had died after falling in the courtyard of their rented accommodation on February 28 at around 5 pm. The boy was taken to the Regional Hospital, Solan, where the attending medical officer declared him dead. The body was subsequently brought back to Salogra.

On March 1, when the body was being taken for burial, some villagers suspected foul play and informed the panchayat pradhan, who in turn alerted the police. A post-mortem examination was conducted. The doctor verbally informed the child’s father, Rajinder Mahat, that the death did not appear to be natural.

Acting on this, an FIR was registered at Solan police station after Mahat alleged that his son had been murdered by Raj Thapa out of personal enmity by strangulation.

Police investigations revealed that Tara Devi and her son Praveen had been living with her second husband, Raj Thapa, at Salogra. On February 28, Tara Devi’s neighbour, Sapna, informed Rajinder Mahat, who works in Kinnaur, over the phone about his son’s death. He subsequently rushed to Solan.

The probe further revealed that around 10 to 12 days prior to the incident, a dispute had arisen between Rajinder Mahat, Tara Devi and Raj Thapa regarding the child’s upbringing and custody, following which Mahat had returned to Kinnaur. Further investigations are under way.