BHAKTAPUR: Roshni Shahi, 50, who had previously accused former Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara of rape, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in her rented room in Balkot, Bhaktapur on Sunday.

Police say the body was discovered inside a locked room at a three-story house owned by Laxmishwor Mahato in Suryabinayak Municipality-3. The landlord notified the police after the door remained unopened well into the afternoon.

In the presence of local representatives, police broke open the door to find Shahi’s lifeless body lying on the floor of her bedroom.

According to Bhaktapur police spokesperson Dhundiraj Neupane, the door was locked from the inside. No external injuries were found on the body, and a suicide note was recovered from the scene.

Her husband was reportedly outside the valley, and she had been staying alone for the past few days. Shahi, originally from Jajarkot, had children living abroad.

Six years ago, she had filed a police complaint against the then Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara, accusing him of rape.

The husband, Chitrajang Shahi, is currently in Biratnagar and has been summoned by authorities. However, the postmortem examination will not proceed until he arrives, according to Dhundiraj Neupane, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bhaktapur.