Bhaktapur sister death: They were living in rented room after coming from Mumbai

Two teenage sisters who were reported missing from India have been found dead in Bhaktapur. They were found in the same rented room where they had been staying.

The sisters, 17-year-old Menuka Kandel and 15-year-old Sirjana Kandel from Panchapuri Municipality-8 in Surkhet, were found hanging with the same rope in a passage of a two-story house in Sinti Taar, Madhyapur Thimi-9. The house belongs to local Niraj Chakradhar.

According to their uncle Khagendra Sigdel, Menuka had recently moved to Mumbai with her family after attending their uncle’s wedding in Nepal. Menuka had taken her SEE exam from Surkhet the previous year, while Sirjana had been living in Mumbai with their parents since childhood.

The SEE result was published on Asar 13 (late June), and the sisters reportedly went missing that same day. Menuka had failed in two subjects, the uncle said.

While the parents were searching for their daughters in India, their bodies were discovered in Bhaktapur. The family claims they informed Surkhet police, but the authorities did not take the search seriously.

Ward Chairperson Deepak Kumar Thapa of Panchapuri-8 said the girls’ parents had been working in India for the last 5–6 years. Bhaktapur police chief SP Madhav Budhathoki said that the investigation will start only after the family arrives, as they requested police not to touch anything until then.

“We are guarding the area where the girls were found. The investigation will begin after the inquest,” said Budhathoki.

The parents are on their way from India to Nepal. The sisters had also posted content on Instagram and TikTok on Wednesday night, just before they were found.