SIRAHA: In the quiet village of Golbazar Municipality-13, Durgapur Dangraha, Siraha, horror struck the community when 16-year-old Abhishek Kumar Singh, known as Malik, was kidnapped from his home and later found murdered.

The case has sent shockwaves across Nepal: six individuals, including five minors, have been charged in one of the most audacious and cruel crimes in recent memory.

Police investigations reveal a plot seemingly lifted from a Hindi television drama. The crime occurred on the night of 21 September, around 8 PM, when the boy went missing from his home.

The case, registered under the altered name 082/83 (Golbazar–A), names Amit Kumar Yadav and four other minors as prime suspects. Based on a complaint filed by the victim’s grandfather, Laxman Mahto, the Siraha District Court issued arrest warrants, and police continue a detailed investigation.

Ransom plot and murder

Police revealed that the accused had imitated the plot of a Hindi television serial.

Their plan: abduct Abhishek, demand a ransom of Rs. 50 million, and conceal the boy’s body if the ransom was not paid. Following the abduction, the suspects bound the boy’s hands with a silver rope, gagged him, and placed him inside a plastic drum. They then covered it with tiles and hid it near the school’s western wall, attempting to conceal the crime from the community.

On 23 September, the boy’s body was found near Arjun Primary School, only 200 meters from his home. In the course of the investigation, police took eight people, including five of the boy’s relatives, into custody for questioning.

Execution of the crime
Investigators revealed that the accused lured Abhishek to a mango orchard near his home. There, the abduction was executed: after binding and gagging him, the perpetrators transported him back to the orchard and placed him inside a plastic drum. They dug a small trench to hide the drum, reflecting a disturbing premeditation.

Using the boy’s mobile phone, the suspects sent messages in Hindi to his mother’s Emobi account on the morning of 6 Ashoj, demanding the ransom. But when police activity in the village intensified, they removed the body from the drum around 2 AM on 23 September, leaving it on a public road. The drum was discarded in a pond, and the victim’s phone was thrown into a nearby field.

The family’s loss

Abhishek was the only child of Sanjay Kumar Singh and Rekha Sinha. After his father’s death in an accident ten years ago, he had been living with his mother, sister, and grandfather. Working on the family’s farmland with two tractors, Abhishek had been a pillar of support for his household. His untimely death has left his family in crisis and exposed vulnerabilities in child safety, local policing, and community protection.

Investigative efforts

Police and forensic teams, including K9 units trained in criminal investigations, joined the search immediately after the body was discovered. Postmortem examinations were conducted at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan. Investigators continue to probe the roles of all six accused and are examining how the influence of media and popular culture may have inspired this heinous crime.

A community in shock

The abduction and murder of Abhishek Kumar Singh has left Golbazar and the broader Siraha district in shock. Beyond the immediate tragedy, the case has raised critical questions about the safety of children in rural Nepal, the influence of crime depicted in popular media, and the urgent need for strengthened law enforcement and community safeguards.

As authorities pursue justice, the story of Abhishek’s life and tragic death serves as a grim reminder of how vulnerability and negligence can converge, leaving a lasting scar on families and communities alike.