Kathmandu, 10 Aug: An arrest warrant has been issued against Balkumar Khanal, chairman of the District Sports Development Committee of Okhaldhunga.
According to a police officer from the Okhaldhunga District Police Office, Khanal was issued an arrest warrant on Sunday on charges of child sexual abuse.
Khanal is accused of deploying office assistant Pramila Bishwakarma to persuade a 13-year-old girl to have a relationship with him.
Pramila was arrested on August 5 (Shrawan 21).
Based on her statement, the police sought permission from the District Court to arrest Khanal as well. The court granted the arrest warrant after finding it necessary to investigate Khanal.
“Pramila has stated that she tried to lure the girl under Khanal’s orders,” the police said. “The investigation also revealed that Khanal had been persuading other women to have relationships with him.”
Since Pramila’s arrest and questioning, Chairman Khanal has been absconding. The police are currently searching for him following the arrest warrant.
Office assistant arrested for luring a minor girl to have a relationship with her superior
An office assistant has been arrested on charges of persuading a minor girl to have a sexual relationship with her superior at the office.
District Police Office Okhaldhunga Inspector Vikram Bahadur Bhattarai reported that Pramila Vishwakarma, an office assistant of the District Sports Development Committee, has been arrested.
Police also obtained an audio recording in which Pramila is heard trying to lure a 13-year-old girl by claiming that she should establish a sexual relationship with Chairman Khanal.
Based on the girl’s statement, Pramila was arrested on Saun 21 (August 6). Inspector Bhattarai stated that a five-day extension has been granted for the investigation against her under the Children’s Act for the offense of child sexual abuse.
“Interrogation is ongoing, and we are moving the investigation forward,” Inspector Bhattarai said.
The girl is in grade 8. Her parents are in India for work, and she lives with her sister at a relative’s house nearby.
The school she attends and the sports ground of the committee office are located in the same area.
According to the statement, one day, Pramila sent for the girl through her sister.
“‘Call your sister, I’ll teach her computers, I’ll get her a job’—that’s what she told my sister to relay to me,” the girl said. “I wondered why she was sending such a message.”
Later, on Saun 11 (July 27), around 5 PM, the girl met Pramila.
“At that time, she told me, ‘Stay close to influential people, they can even help you in sports.’ I didn’t pay much attention,” the girl said.
On the 15th (July 31), she was playing volleyball. Pramila also joined them in the game.
“Later, while climbing the stairs, she kept saying, ‘If you had stayed close to an influential person, things would have been different. No one is pure,'” the girl recalled. “I didn’t respond to any of it.”
The girl said Pramila repeatedly tried to tempt her with various offers.
“‘Will you go with sir or not?’ She kept asking me until the 17th (August 2),” the girl said. “After hearing this repeatedly, I decided to record the conversation on my phone to report it to sir.”
In the audio clip where Pramila is allegedly trying to manipulate the girl, she is heard attempting to persuade her with incentives. Inspector Bhattarai confirmed that Pramila has admitted the voice in the recording is hers.
In the recording, Pramila is heard saying:
“Sir likes you. He wants to be with you. He said he’ll even give you money. Sir doesn’t want a relationship with a married girl. He saw your photo on my phone and liked you.”
The girl then asks what kind of relationship she means.
Pramila replies:
“You should associate with influential people. Even if you have a child later, there’s medicine for that. Nowadays, everyone has relationships—no one is pure. Even if you have a relationship, only we will know.
He said he’s really into you. We’ll take you somewhere else. It’ll be easier for you. Your phone is broken? Sir will fix it. If it can’t be fixed, he’ll buy you a new one.”
When the girl asks where they would go, Pramila mentions Hulaka Danda. When the girl asks for “sir’s” name, Pramila reveals it.
There is a 25-minute recording of Pramila attempting to lure the girl with various incentives.
