Sisters Found Dead in Bhaktapur Had Fled from India Three Weeks Ago
Kathmandu, 24 Jul: The two sisters found dead in Sintitar, Bode, Thimi Municipality–8, Bhaktapur, had reportedly fled from India and arrived in Bhaktapur about three weeks ago. They were found dead on Thursday morning around 6:45 AM.
Menuka Kandel (17) and Srijana Kandel (15) had fled from Mira-Bhayandar in Mumbai, Maharashtra, to Nepal. Their permanent residence is in Panchapuri Municipality–8, Surkhet.
According to police, the girls had been renting a room at the house of local resident Chakradhar Prajapati. DSP Dhundiraj Neupane of the Bhaktapur District Police Office informed RatoPati that the sisters’ bodies were found hanging in the passage of the rented home.
When they initially arrived in Bhaktapur and went in search of a room, they had told the landlord, “We’re here to attend college.”
While in Mumbai, they had told their guardians that they were going to a computer class. When they didn’t return, the parents initially informed the Indian police. Speaking to Indian media outlet Sigas Television, the girls’ mother Uma Kandel said, “They left for computer classes and didn’t come back.”
Later, the sisters sent a voice message to their parents. According to Uma Kandel, they said, “We’ve gone to Bangalore. We’ll come back after earning some money.”
Menuka was the elder sister and Srijana the younger. After they went missing, police tracked their location to Bhiwandi, according to Uma, speaking to Indian media.
It was also found that the sisters had made a TikTok video the night before they were found dead. Their mobile phone was recovered at the scene. Police officials involved in the investigation stated that after arriving in Bhaktapur, the sisters had started working at a garment factory, although confirmation of this is still under investigation.
The reason behind their decision to take such a tragic step remains unknown, and police say the investigation is ongoing.
The girls’ father, Basudev Kandel, is on his way to Kathmandu following the incident. DSP Neupane said the bodies would be sent for postmortem after the arrival of the guardians and completion of necessary documentation. “We’ve secured the scene,” he added.
