Himal Press 
POKHARA: Kaski District Court has sent two individuals accused of abetting the suicide of Armed Police Force (APF) Inspector Santoshi Mahat to judicial custody for further investigation.
Mahat was found dead by hanging near her quarter in the APF barrack on February 22.
The bench of District Judge Bholanath Dhakal ordered the detention of APF Inspector Bivek Joshi and Head Constable Resham Bahadur Shahi. Both face charges of abetment to suicide.
Mahat (28), who hailed from Sindhupalchok, was undergoing basic training (17th Basic) when she was found hanging inside the women’s restroom near the barrack of the Crowd and Riot Management Training School in Lamachaur on February 22.
Mahat’s family filed a complaint at the Kaski District Police Office the day after the incident, accusing Joshi of abetting her suicide and claiming that they had been in a relationship. Police subsequently arrested both Joshi and Shahi for investigation.
On March 21, Kaski Police submitted an investigation report to the District Government Attorney’s Office, seeking punishment under Section 185 (1) and (2) of the National Criminal Code, 2017, which deals with abetment to suicide, for the accused.
Section 185 of the National Criminal Code prohibits encouraging or creating circumstances leading to suicide, with violators facing up to five years imprisonment and a fine of NPR 50,000.
Mahat, who joined the APF as a Constable in 2015, was promoted to ASI in 2021 and was recently selected for the Inspector rank.
