Kanchanpur, October 13, 2026 — Five people have been arrested in Kanchanpur on allegations of taking a teenager into a forest, threatening him with a sharp weapon and assaulting him.
The arrests followed the public release of a video showing a 16-year-old boy from Ratanpur, Belauri Municipality-9, being taken into a forest and subjected to physical assault and torture, police said.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Tek Bahadur Rawat of the District Police Office, the arrested individuals are Ashish Bista, 21; Dilip Bhatta, 19; Shankar Sunar, 21; Sujit Adhikari, 23; and Milan Tirwa, 22. All five are residents of Belauri Municipality-9.
Rawat said the five allegedly took the teenager to the local Khajuwa forest on the evening of Ashoj 23, threatened him with a khukuri and assaulted him.
Police said a case has been registered against the five on charges related to kidnapping, unlawful confinement, attempted murder and degrading and inhuman treatment. An investigation is ongoing.
