MORANG, July 8: Police have arrested a man in Ratuwamai Municipality-6, Morang, on charges of murdering his sister-in-law over an inheritance dispute.
According to Spokesperson for the District Police Office (DPO), Morang, DSP Kopila Chudal, Tanka Bahadur Basnet, 69, allegedly killed Tikamaya Karki Basnet, 60, wife of his elder brother Ganesh Bahadur Basnet, following a long-standing feud over ancestral property.
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The body of Tikamaya, who was speech-impaired and communicated only through gestures, was found on June 5 in a field near her home. "She had gone to cut grass in the field when she was likely attacked. She had a deep wound on the back of her head,” said DSP Chudal.
Police said the property dispute between the brothers had escalated after a court verdict awarded a share of the land to Ganesh, which reportedly enraged Tanka. Investigators believe Tanka struck Tikamaya on the head with the handle of a sickle in a premeditated act of revenge.
It was also revealed that Tanka had verbally abused and attempted to assault Tikamaya on multiple occasions in the past. Police recovered the murder weapon, the sickle, from his house.
The victim's postmortem was conducted at Koshi Hospital, Biratnagar, which confirmed the cause of death as trauma due to injury. Police have taken Tanka into custody and initiated a murder investigation under court-approved remand.
