Stalker turned killer: Muna Pandey’s murder unveils chilling truth

HOUSTON, USA — Dipendra Kunwar, a Nepali national, has spoken to local media about his relationship with 21-year-old Muna Pandey, a Nepali girl who was shot dead in Houston, Texas.

Kunwar described Pandey as a little sister he never had. Kunwar and Pandey, who grew up together in Nepal, moved to Houston where Pandey sought Kunwar's help a year ago due to concerns about a potential stalker.

“She called me and said some guy was at her window. Someone was following her, and they were walking around her windows and door, so she called me and also contacted the police,” Kunwar explained.

Kunwar assisted in installing a surveillance camera outside Pandey’s apartment, and after its installation, the stalking incidents ceased. However, the individual believed to be following Pandey was never identified.

Kunwar’s concerns about Pandey’s safety resurfaced last week when investigators discovered her shot to death inside her apartment at the Reserve at 63 Sixty-Three off West Airport Boulevard. Pandey was found on Monday, two days after she was believed to have been killed. Investigators reported that apartment management received an anonymous call from an unidentified man alerting them to a dead body in the apartment. Police then requested Kunwar’s assistance to review Pandey’s surveillance footage.

Kunwar revealed what the footage showed: “When she tried to open the door, the man came with a gun and told her to open the door and let him in. She had no idea he was waiting for her.”

Approximately an hour later, the man was seen leaving Pandey’s apartment with her phone and purse. Police released a surveillance photo of the suspect, leading to several tips identifying 51-year-old Bobby Shah. Shah was subsequently apprehended during a traffic stop and charged with capital murder.

Kunwar noted that Pandey’s loved ones do not recognize Shah. “She never mentioned him at all,” Kunwar said, adding that the only possible link is that Shah had been a frequent customer at a restaurant where Pandey worked a year ago.

Kunwar expressed a profound question: “I think we just want to know why? She was not a threat to him. She came over here with nothing, built a life for herself. She had an apartment, a car, and was set to graduate with an associate degree this semester. She was confident, kind, loving, and didn’t let anything stand in her way.”

Kunwar also remarked that without Pandey’s surveillance camera, Shah might have never been caught. Pandey had aspirations of becoming a nurse and caring for her mother. Her loved ones are now working to bring her mother from Nepal to Houston for a proper funeral.

Shah’s next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m. local time.