Eleven-year-old Nishan Khadka was abducted from Kandaghari Sunday afternoon.
The boy was murdered and his body was found in the foundation of an under-construction house in Bhaktapur Sunday night itself.
Alleged abductors Ajay Tamang, 23, of Karthali Sindhupalchowk, and Gopal Tamang, 22, of Samari Nuwakot were killed in 'police operation' on Monday.
While some have praised the police for killing the alleged abductors, questions have been raised about the police's failure to rescue the boy and whether the killing was extra-judicial.
SSP at the Metropolitan Police Crime Division Dhiraj Pratap Singh, who headed the police investigations, said the boy could not be saved as he was kidnapped by known persons. "Police have been able to rescue just 25 percent of persons kidnapped by known persons," SSP Singh said. "Our experience shows that life of the remaining 75 percent is under threat."
Singh argued that the boy could not be rescued also due to lack of urgency by the guardian. "Investigation shows that Nishan was missing from around four in the afternoon. The abductors got time to plan as the family did not show interest even when the boy did not turn up by nine in the night," Singh stated.
The abductors called Nishan's mother at around 9 in the night demanding Rs 20 million in ransom. They later lowered the amount to Rs 4 million. They had warned the mother to not report the incident to the police.
Singh said the police knew about the incident at around 9:15 in the night. DSP at Baneshwore Police Circle Govinda Kafle then reached Kandaghari. SSP Singh himself reached there at 9:45 pm.
The abductors apparently got a sniff that the police were informed about the incident by then. SSP Singh claimed that the abductors murdered the boy to hide the crime after the police initiated search operation in Kandaghari and Bhaktapur.
"There was no chance of getting ransom and the police knew about the incident. What could they do to save themselves in such state? The abductors kill the kidnapped person whether they are adults or kids in such situation," Singh argued.
He claimed that Nishan was murdered by midnight.
He also refuted allegations that there was lack of coordination between Kathmandu Police and Metropolitan Police Crime Division. He claimed that Kathmandu Police helped in blocking of exit points to help the division in investigation.
