KATHMANDU, June 3: In the suspicious death case of Nepali student Prisha Shah, who was studying at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, authorities have filed a formal complaint, also called first information report (FIR), against five individuals-one male student and four female students.
Prisha's father, Shyam Prasad Sah, filed the FIR, naming Ayush Ranjan from Bettiah, Bihar, as the prime accused and identifying four other Nepali students at KIIT University as accomplices.
Republica has reported continuously from Bhubaneswar on the suspicious circumstances surrounding Prisha Shah's death. On May 19, 2025, Shyam Prasad Sah lodged the FIR at the Bhubaneswar police station under Sections 108 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. After receiving the complaint, Bhubaneswar police launched a search for Ayush.
Bhubaneswar police reported that Ayush Ranjan fled from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI) in Dehradun, where he was pursuing his studies. After failing to locate him there, the Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner and Infocity Police Station sent a letter to ICFAI on May 23, 2025, requesting details about his whereabouts.
The letter stated, "Ayush Ranjan is a suspect in the death case of 19-year-old Prisha Sah from Haripur, Ward 8 of Kabilasi Municipality, Sarlahi, Madhesh Province, Nepal. Authorities have named him as the accused." The complaint alleged that Ayush's actions compelled Prisha, a student at KIIT University, to take her own life.
As Ayush had absconded from both his home and student residence, Bhubaneswar police asked ICFAI University to provide any available information regarding his location.
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Republica previously reported that investigators are probing four students in connection with the suspicious death of Nepali student Prisha Shah, who studied at KIIT University. However, officials have not publicly disclosed their names.
Police also confirmed that they have named one minor as an accused in the case. Authorities launched the investigation into all five individuals after Prisha's father, Shyam Sah, filed a complaint at the Infocity Police Station in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner Dr Suresh Dev Datta Singh said investigators will pursue legal action based on the formal complaint. "Our investigation has already revealed some findings," Commissioner Singh told Republica. "We expect to uncover more details after we take the accused into custody and begin questioning."
Prisha's father, Shyam Shah, said, "Ayush harassed my daughter to the point where she felt compelled to end her life." He accused the KIIT University administration of remaining silent even after he informed them about the harassment. Police are currently interrogating four female students.
Investigators have based their ongoing probe on the forensic analysis of Prisha's laptop and mobile phone. Bhubaneswar police reported that the post-mortem did not reveal any suspicious findings. However, they believe the digital evidence from her devices will help them question the prime accused, Ayush, more effectively.
On May 1, 2025, nearly three months after the death of Prakriti Lamsal, a fellow KIIT student from Rupandehi, authorities found Prisha Shah-originally from Sarlahi and residing in Parsa-dead in her room at KIIT University's QC 04 hostel. KIIT enrolls the second-largest number of Nepali students after Indian nationals. According to one of the students there, KIIT also hosts students from Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bangladesh, France, Somalia, Syria, and other countries.
Prisha Shah's family has criticized the Government of Nepal for failing to show a strong presence following the suspicious deaths of Nepali students Prisha Shah and Prakriti Lamsal, who studied at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
When Prakriti Lamsal died, a delegation from the Indian Embassy in Nepal, including police counselors, stayed in India for ten days but failed to reassure Nepali students that the Government of Nepal supported them. In Prisha's case, Nepali government representatives have managed the situation from New Delhi without visiting Odisha.
More than a month after Prisha's death, the Nepali Embassy in India has done little beyond asking the university administration about Nepali students' conditions. Students currently studying at KIIT University say the embassy has neither engaged with them nor tried to understand their concerns.
Two suspicious deaths within three months have stressed Nepali students. The Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner's office is actively working to provide a safe environment for foreign students, including Nepalis. Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta has launched counseling programs at KIIT University to help Nepali and other foreign students feel secure.
Because India neighbors Nepal and offers comparatively lower tuition fees than other countries, Nepali students find it an attractive destination. Around 1,300 Nepali students study in various faculties at KIIT University alone.
Since Nepali citizens do not need a visa to enter India, many students choose India as their first option for school or higher education. The close linguistic, religious, and cultural ties between the two countries also motivate parents to send their children to India for education.
Recent incidents have begun shaking the centuries-old educational and people-to-people ties between the two countries. Nepali students studying at KIIT University say the administration's treatment of Nepali students has further strained these relations.
Thousands of Nepali students studying in India face humiliation and, in some cases, tragic deaths, which concern not only their parents but also the students themselves. However, the Nepali Embassy in Delhi has yet to show government support for the students, either by collaborating with KIIT University or through its own initiatives. Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner Dr Suresh Dev Datta Singh has assured that the police will conclude the investigation into the death of Nepali student Prisha Shah at KIIT.
He said, "In investigating crimes, no borders exist between Nepal and India, and police do not discriminate between foreign or domestic citizens. I want to assure Prisha's family that police are conducting a thorough investigation into her death. No matter where a criminal comes from, they remain a criminal. No one can stop us from bringing them to justice and taking legal action."
