A couple were found dead at Jitpur Simara Sub-Metropolitan City-3 in Bara district on Friday night. Dipak Subedi, 35, and his wife Dipika, 32, were brutally murdered in their cow farm at Bajani, said police. They had been staying in the cowshed that lies about 500 metres away from the settlement. Police suspected that Dipika was murdered after ‘gang rape’ while the husband was beaten to death in his bid to save her. The woman’s naked body was found in her room while her husband was lying dead some 50 metres away from the cowshed. It seemed that the victims were beaten to death with bamboo batons, said Krishna Khanal, a local. Both the victims sustained serious head injuries. The incident happened while the victims were sleeping in the cow farm. Superintendent of Police Raj Kumar Baidawar said that they have launched an investigation into the incident. The culprits involved in the incident will be brought to book at the earliest, he added. The incident site lies near the main way to Tedha Village in neighbouring Parsa district. Factory workers frequent the route to reach the industrial area along the Birgunj-Pathalaiya road section. “Both of them went to sleep after having meal at around 8:45pm. They did not have enmity with anyone in the settlement,” said Dipak’s older brother Niranjan Subedi. The victims have a son and a daughter, who they had left with other family members. The couple had been eking out a living by rearing around a dozen cows for the past three years. जितपुर सिमरा उपमहानगरपालिका ३ बजनीमा शुक्रबार राति एक दम्पतीको हत्या भएको छ । ३५ बर्षीय दिपक सुवेदी र उनकी पत्नी ३२ बर्षीया दिपिकाको हत्या भएको हो । दिपिकाको बलात्कारसमेत गरिएको छ । उनी निर्वस्त्र अवस्थामा कोठामा मृत अवस्थामा भेटिएकी हुन् । पति दिपकको शव गाईको गोठबाट ५० मिटरको दुरीमा भेटिएको हो । गाई पाल्ने गोठमा बसोबास गर्दै आएका उनीहरुलाई टाउकोमा बाँसको भाटाले प्रहार गरी हत्या गरिएको स्थानीय समाजिक अगुवा कृष्ण खनालले बताए । हत्यामा संलग्न भएकाको पहिचान खुलेको छैन् । बजनी टोलदेखि ५ सय मिटर पश्चिम रहेको गाई पाल्ने गोठमा दम्पती सुतिरहँदा घटना भएको हो । घटनास्थल पर्सा जिल्लासित जोडिएको टेढा गाउँ जाने मुख्य बाटोमा पर्छ । त्यस क्षेत्रमा उद्योगमा काम गर्ने मजदुरहरुको आवागमन सधैं भइरहेको हुन्छ । घटनास्थलमा प्रहरीको टोली पुगेर अनुसन्धान थालेको छ । घटना अनुसन्धान गर्न क्षेत्रीय प्रहरी कार्यालय हेटौंडाबाट कुकुर मगाई अनुसन्धान थालिने प्रहरी उपरीक्षक राजकुमार वैदवारले बताए । ‘कुकुर आएपछि घटना मुचुल्का हुन्छ,’ उनले भने, ‘घटनास्थललाई सुरक्षा घेरामा राखेका छौं ।’ मृतकका आमा र २ छोराछोरी बजनीमा भएको घरमा बस्दै आएका हुन् । ‘दिपिकालाई सामुहिक बलात्कारको क्रममा प्रतिकार गर्दा दम्पतीको हत्या गरिएको हुनसक्छ,’ घटना स्थल पुगेका एक प्रहरी अधिकृतले भने, ‘घटनामा संलग्नलाई चाँडै पक्राउ गर्छौ ।’ घटनापछि स्थानीय शोकमा छन् । गाउँमा त्रास बढेको छ । ‘सुरक्षाको चिन्ता भयो,’ एक स्थानीयले भने, ‘कसरी बस्ने ?’