As many as 590 cases of rape took place in the three months after the rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Panta of Bhimdutta municipality of Kanchanpur.
The statistics was made public by the Ministry of Home Affairs while submitting the report on it to the Women, Children, Senior Citizen and Social Welfare Committee of federal parliament on Tuesday.
The Home Ministry's report cites that 590 incidents of rape occurred in the duration of three months from mid-July to mid-September.
There were also 257 cases of attempted rape, 10 cases of unnatural sex, one human trafficking and rape case, and one case of rape after kidnapping.
In the last fiscal year, there were 1,480 cases of rape. There were 727 cases of attempted rape, 24 cases of unnatural sex, 10 cases of human trafficking and rape, and 23 cases of rape after kidnapping.
Some 824 people were arrested in the period of three months for their alleged involvement in rape cases while 174 accused are on the run. At least 332 cases have been cleared while 524 cases are still sub judice.
The Home Ministry furnished the report on rape cases when the parliamentary committee asked the progress report on the investigation of Nirmala Panta rape and murder case.
The body of 13-year-old Panta of Bhimdutta municipality 2, who had gone to a friend’s home for study on July 26, was found at a sugarcane field the next day.
A CIB team led by DSP Angur GC had reached Kanchanpur four days after the incident. Doubts arose about the police investigation after the CIB team and the then SP at Kanchanpur Dilli Raj Bista made 41-year-old Dilip Singh Bista, who was mentally challenged, public as the culprit on the 24th day of the incident on August 18. The District Government Attorney Office released Bista after DNA samples collected from Nirmala Panta’s body did not match with that of Bista.
Babita Bam and Anita Bam, the victim's friend, were also arrested for the investigation but they were released citing lack of evidence. The Home Ministry later stated that as many as 255 people were arrested to investigate the Nirmala Panta's rape and murder case.
The probe committee under Secretary at the Home Ministry Hari Prasad Mainali is also investigating some police personnel including two Deputy Superintendent of police after finding negligence on part of preliminary investigation on the case.
The Home Ministry had fired the then SP Dilli Raj Bista and inspector Jagadish Bhatta on recommendation of another probe committee under AIG Dhiru Basnet.
But there has not been much progress and no new facts have emerged after firing of the officers.
