Manoj Thapa, 13, who is a witness in a sexual exploitation case, has been missing for the last 12 days along with another boy Prem Sunar, 10, from the same orphanage, District Police Office, Rupandehi.

The police had raided the orphanage on June 1 on the tip off that the girls were being sexually exploited by the manager Ashish Thapa. Thapa, who initially absconded, later surrendered to the police on June 3.

The information of sexual exploitation of the girls had reached to the police through the boy inmates of the same orphanage. Manoj is one of the boys who helped make the incident public.

District Child Welfare Officer Rajya Laxmi Gupta informed that the boys had left the orphanage on July 2 at around 5 am and have not been seen by anybody since then. The incident is being taken even by the case investigators as an attempt to weaken the case by barring the witness from recording his testimony. The committee has filed an appeal at police office asking to search for the boys.

The investigators believe that Ramesh Thapa, father of the accused, could have hidden the boy to stop him from going against the accused. It is said that Prem was also made disappeared not ot raise the doubt against the accused and his family. SP Rabindranath Regmi said that the police were looking for the boys. 

Manoj has already recorded his statement to the police but his statement at the court would strength the case against accused Ashish.

The District Court has sent the accused in jail on remand. He is charged with rape of two girls and attempted rape of five girls.

After the case was made public, the Committee disbanded the executive committee on June 18 and formed a new one with 13 members led by Bal Kumari Gurung.

There are 28 children in the orphanage while seven girls were taken in by Maiti Nepal office, Bhairahawa.