Police now investigating ‘sister and brother-in-law’ in case of two sisters’ death in Bhaktapur

Two teenage sisters were found hanging with the same rope at a rented house in Sintitar, Madhyapur Thimi, Bhaktapur. Police suspect the involvement of a woman and her husband — referred to as the deceased girls’ “didi-bhinaju” — and have started an investigation.

According to DSP Dhundiraj Neupane from Bhaktapur Police, the bodies were found at 6:45 AM on Thursday. They were hanging from an iron rod in the passage of a rented room on the ground floor of a two-storey house made of bricks and iron.

The deceased have been identified as 17-year-old Menuka Kandel and her 15-year-old sister, Sirjana Kandel, from Panchapuri Municipality-8, Surkhet. They had been living in the rented room for about two weeks.

Police say the sisters had run away from home. They had gone missing about a month ago from their home in Mira-Bhayander, Mumbai, India. After losing contact with them, the family had begun searching with the help of Indian media and organizations. Their mother even gave interviews asking for help.

In one of those interviews, the mother, Uma Kandel, recalled: “They left saying they were going to computer class and would be back by 7 PM. When I called, they didn’t pick up. I left them a voice message saying, ‘Eat the roti I made, I’m going to work.’ Later I received a voice message from my younger daughter saying, ‘Mommy, we are not there anymore. We’ve gone to Bangalore. We’ll come back after earning money.’”

After that message, there was no contact. Their clothes and money were missing from home. Police tracking their mobile location saw it moved from Bhiwandi to Gorakhpur and finally towards Nepal. It was later rumored that the girls had taken up hotel jobs in Kathmandu.

DSP Neupane confirmed that their bodies were not moved until late Thursday night, as their father, Basudev Kandel, was flying to Nepal from Mumbai. He had requested the bodies not be touched until his arrival.

Neupane also mentioned that the sisters were brought to Nepal by a “didi-bhinaju,” whose involvement is now being investigated. The two had been working at Kalidevi Tailors nearby. The shop owner, Pawan Pariyar, said the sisters came with another girl and a man they called “bhinaju.” They asked for a place to live and started working there two weeks ago, though they hadn’t come to work for the last few days.

The girls had told people they were from Surkhet and wanted to learn tailoring. Neighbors said they kept to themselves and rarely spoke with anyone.

Police are continuing the investigation to find out how the girls came to Nepal, who was involved, and what led to their deaths.