Saptari, August 23, 2026 — Preliminary police investigation has indicated that a two-year-old girl found dead in Saptari was killed by her stepmother.
Khushi Khatun, the two-year-old daughter of Mohammad Irfan of Shambhunath Municipality-3, went missing from home on Sunday and was found dead about two hours later in a thicket behind the house. Police have sent the body for postmortem to Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital in Rajbiraj.
Saptari Superintendent of Police Rupak Khadka said 19-year-old Muskan Khatun has been arrested on the charge of involvement in the killing. Muskan is the younger co-wife of the child’s father. Mohammad Irfan is currently in Qatar for foreign employment.
According to local residents, a dispute had arisen on Saturday between the elder and younger wives over co-wife issues and questions of property inheritance. The elder wife and the child had been living in the ancestral home, while the younger wife lived in a rented house nearby.
SP Khadka said the preliminary probe shows no external injuries and points to the involvement of only one person. After the child was reported missing, police launched a search. Locals briefly closed Rupani market on Sunday afternoon in protest against the killing. The market and highway blockade have since been cleared.
