Shimla Police arrest 2 Nepal nationals for brutal murder of compatriot

Two Nepal natives have been arrested in Kullu for allegedly murdering a fellow Nepal native in the Chirgaon region under the Shimla district.

The accused have been identified as Lalit Rana, alias Laxman Rana (20), and Shahbir Luvar (21), both natives of Jajarkot district in Kamali, Nepal.

While addressing a press conference in Shimla on Monday, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shimla, Gaurav Singh, said on February 18, the dead body of Rakesh Pratap (36), a Nepal native, was found near the bank of the Pabbar River near Chirgaon, following which a police team reached the spot. Upon inspecting the scene, police found the accused had been hit on his head by a sharp-edged weapon and had been murdered.

“An investigation was immediately initiated. After analysing CCTV footage of nearby areas, the police found that the deceased was with the accused a day before his murder. During the investigation, it was found that the two suspects had visited the deceased in Badiyara village, where he used to work as a labourer. During the day, they consumed alcohol, and in the evening, they took the deceased with them to the bank of the river on the pretext of consuming more alcohol,” he said.

“When they reached near the bank, they had a minor altercation, following which the accused brutally assaulted Rakesh with stones and a sharp-edged weapon, ultimately killing him. The accused then mutilated the face of the deceased and destroyed his phone to prevent his identification, following which they fled from the scene and switched off their phones,” said the SSP.

“Further investigation revealed that both the accused had gone to Devidhar village a few days ago to work as labourers and were missing since the murder took place. Based on digital evidence, the accused were found to be hiding in the Kasol and Manikaran areas in Kullu. Taking prompt action, police teams were dispatched to the spots, and the accused were nabbed from Kasol today,” he said.

The SSP further appealed to the people to get their tenants and labourers registered at the nearest police station before employing any migrant labourers or renting their rooms.