Husband confesses murdering wife

By A Staff ReporterKathmandu, Oct. 24: Hari Sharan Pant, who was among the four taken into custody on Tuesday on the suspicious death of his wife Devi Pant, 26, has confessed to the killing.Others taken under custody are her mother-in-law, two brothers-in-law Vivek Pant and Ram Sharan Pant and Juna Lama, maid working in the house.Devi living at Ichangu Narayan VDC-9 near the Raniban area had died under suspicious circumstance on the day of Vijaya Dashami, biggest day of the Dashain.The post-mortem done at the TU Teaching Hospital found that there were signs of beatings on several parts of the body, including head, and she was also strangled. There was bleeding from nose and ear.The husband confessed to the crime after the local people gheraoed the Balaju Police Station where Pant and other are kept demanding for stern action against the culprits.The wife Devi Pant, 26, was found dead in her own house on Tuesday and the neighbours suspecting foul play put pressure on the police. The family had said that Devi had committed suicide and were even preparing to take the body for cremation.But the locals protested seeing blood spots on the body. "We protested as we suspect the case would be hushed up and the culprits might be set free," said Prachanda Shah, a local who was protesting. Locals presented at the protest programme said that they would not accept the body of Devi until October 29 and until the case is proceeded further.Locals said the husband had been living in Japan for years and had recently returned for Dashain. Locals also said the accused might escape the law under money power.After the protests the police had called eight persons among the protestors for negotiation. Mangala Timilsina, one of those called for talks, said the police had assured that they would initiate action against the guilty as the husband himself had confessed the murder.