PANCHTHAR, Aug 5: Two minor siblings who had been missing for six days in Yangwarak Rural Municipality-1, Biruwa, were found dead on Monday morning.
The bodies of 10-year-old Shishir Rai and his six-year-old sister Nanuma Rai, children of Birkha Bahadur Rai, were discovered on the banks of the Biruwa River, about 200 meters apart, according to Ward Chair Rajendra Khaling Rai.
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The children had gone missing since the morning of Shrawan 16. A search had been underway since then. A police team from the District Police Office had reached Chyangthapu on Monday to assist in the search.
Shishir was a fourth-grade student, while Nanuma was in first grade at the local Purna Basic School. According to Ward Chair Khaling, their father had sent them to their grandmother’s house early in the morning to eat before going to school. However, the grandparents assumed the children were with their father and remained busy with their daily work.
When the children did not return home as usual, their grandfather, Surya Bahadur, called Birkha Bahadur at around 7 pm. Only then did the family realize that the children were missing. The search officially began the next morning, on Shrawan 17. The delay in informing authorities resulted in a late start to the search operation.
The children’s mother is currently working abroad.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Kaushal Kumar Budhathoki said that an investigation is underway into the incident. He said preparations were being made to bring the bodies to the district hospital for post-mortem.
