Nayak Paudel

Kathmandu, Apr. 3: A 16-year-old girl had been living with her father, a daily wage worker. The duo hardly sustained their daily livelihood. However, when the father received a job proposal for her daughter Ramita (not real name) at a cloth shop in Kathmandu, he sent her to Kathmandu with a man thinking that his daughter could now lead a decent life.

It was on March 25 when Suhana Tamang aka Maseli, a resident of Sindhuli, had proposed the job for Ramita and the poor father allowed her to go to Kathmandu with Tamang.

Upon arrival in Kathmandu, Ramita was toured around Ratnapark area and then taken to a rented flat in Makalbari area of Kathmandu by Tamang and Shyam Kumar Bhattarai aka Sargam, a 24-year-old associate of Tamang. It was when Ramita arrived at the flat that she came to know the true intention of Tamang and Bhattarai; the duo forced her into prostitution.

It was on March 27 when Bhattarai took her to a hotel for an individual; the individual then raped her.

The incident came to light only on March 31 when Ramita’s father arrived at the Metropolitan Police Range, Bhaktapur, to lodge a complaint. Ramita had escaped from the flat when Tamang and Bhattarai had gone out.

“After fleeing from the flat at Makalbari, Ramita had arrived at Jorpati and came in contact with her friend . She then went to her father with the help of her friend. The father came to file a complaint and we acted upon it at the earliest,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Dipak Giri, spokesperson at Metropolitan Police Range, Bhaktapur.

The police then arrested Tamang and Bhattarai on the same day. Upon searching the flat of the duo, police found the place to be shaped properly for sleeping and eating purpose for a bunch of individuals; authorities also confiscated several contraceptives from the room as well.

According to Bhaktapur Police, there were other women in the flat as well but since they were aged above 18 years and didn’t file a complaint against Tamang and Bhattarai, they were let free.

“Other women under Bhattarai and Tamang were happy with what they were doing and didn’t complain against the duo. Ramia was a lone girl to escape without letting other women know, because they didn’t accept to rebel or escape with her when she asked in the beginning,” said DSP Giri.

After arresting Bhattarai and Tamang, the police then found about the hotel the girl was taken to – Pathivara Family Cottage at Sundarijal, Kathmandu. Police then arrested the owners of the hotel – Prakash Dhungel, 52 and Muna Thapa Magar, 31.

“The victim couldn’t recognise the hotel she was taken to and where she was raped. However, after the arrest of Tamang and Bhattarai we found it. Upon further investigation, we identified the one who had raped the victim and arrested him as well,” said DSP Giri. The one who has been arrested on charges of rape has been identified as 47-year-old Raj Kumar Sunar, a resident of Gagalfedi, Kathmandu.

“Tamang and Bhattarai have been targeting families like that of Ramita by faking false assurances of job at Kathmandu. The victims are then provided quality services such as good clothes and electronic gadgets and then asked to work as prostitute. If the victims don’t accept the proposition with ease, they are tortured,” said DSP Giri.

According to DSP Giri, it was Ramita’s escape that helped them identify the racket and bust it. “Since such cases come in light mostly when we receive a complaint or information, we request public to inform at the nearest police station if they know about such rackets,” said DSP Giri.

Bhaktapur Police have received seven-day judicial custody permission for all the five arrested individuals. They are being investigated under human trafficking and rape.

Published on: 3 April 2021 | The Rising Nepal