Man behind attacks on women held

Kathmandu, June 28

Police have arrested the prime suspect in a series of attacks on women with a pointed metal object after two weeks of massive manhunt.

A special team of Teku-based Metropolitan Police Range took Santosh Karki, 30, into custody last night from Maharajgunj where he used to run a restaurant. Karki, who hails from Ramechhap district, had been residing in Naikap. He also worked in Saudi Arabia for five years before returning home in 2017.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Hobindra Bogati, MPR spokesperson, said the motorcycle-borne suspect used to target women walking alone in the evening or at night while returning to his rented room from the restaurant.

Karki used to puncture arms or backs of women who came in his way and fleethe scene without giving victims any time to note his bike’s registration number. Most of the victims are from Dallu, Tankeshwor and Sorhakhutte areas.

According to police, Karki has confessed to attacking the women with a ‘nail’.

Police have impounded the motorcycle that Karki rode while attacking women. However, police have yet to retrieve the ‘sharp metal object’ that Karki used to attack women.

In a statement recorded at MPR, Karki said he pricked women with the ‘sharp metal object’ only for his self-satisfaction and did not have any intention to transmit any disease. Karki told police that he had targeted six women.

“We are investigating whether he had any intention of transmitting disease to victims,” DSP Bogati told THT. He said Karki had operated without any accomplice.

The first incident of the attack was reported in Swoyambhu in mid-April. At least eight women have been pricked with the ‘pointed metal object’ since then. Police had registered five complaints since June 20.

According to Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, as many as eight women visited the health facility for counselling and treatment on suspicion of being infected with HIV and hepatitis through the prick wound. It stated that their health was normal.

DSP Bogati said police had launched a manhunt to nab the suspect on the basis of a CCTV footage of a woman attacked by a rider at night while she was taking her dog for a walk in Dallu. Kathmandu District has remanded Karki to five-day judicial custody for further investigation into the charge under Section 104 of the Criminal Code Act that prohibits any offence that will or may transmit any infectious disease to others.

The guilty in such cases are liable for punishment with imprisonment up to 10 years and a fine not exceeding Rs 100,000.

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