Nepal constable found dead in Mahakali River after going missing during patrol

The death of Armed Police Force (APF) constable Om Prakash Pun Magar has cast a shadow of suspicion over border security operations in Nepal. Magar, stationed at the Parigaun Border Out Post (BOP) in Dadeldhura, went missing on May 30 during a routine patrol along the border. His body was recovered three days later from beneath a bridge over the Mahakali River, near the Tanakpur Barrage connecting Kanchanpur and India's Uttarakhand.

The circumstances surrounding Magar's disappearance and subsequent death have raised serious questions. A 21-member patrol team had departed from the BOP on May 28, spending the night at another post before roll call on May 30 revealed Magar's absence. The fact that a patrol member vanished overnight while staying at a fellow BOP has fueled speculation.

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His room was near the BOP. He said he was going out briefly to celebrate his anniversary. He never returned to the BOP afterwards.

The APF has offered an explanation, with Dadeldhura-based APF DSP Prakash Chandra Bhatt claiming Magar left to celebrate his wedding anniversary. Bhatt stated that Magar, whose wife is also an APF personnel, said he was going out briefly from his room near the BOP. However, authorities have not clarified who authorized his departure or if any official record exists of his leaving the post.

Further complicating the situation, the body of Tirtha Bahadur Thapa, Magar's maternal uncle, was also found floating in the Mahakali River on Sunday, the day before Magar's body was discovered. The investigation into Constable Pun Magar's death is ongoing, with the Dadeldhura Police leading the inquiry. The APF's own search and rescue efforts were initiated after a delay, with police being informed of the disappearance several hours after it was discovered.

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We received information at around 5 pm that he had gone missing.