Man Found Burned Inside Car in Kirtipur Died by Suicide, Police Conclude

Kathmandu. Police have concluded from their investigation that Sureshchandra Shrestha, found burned inside a car in Kirtipur, committed suicide. Shrestha, who was from Naradevi, Ward No. 26 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, was living with his family in Green Wood Villa in Kirtipur.

On Tuesday at 11:20 AM, Shrestha drove the car with license plate number Ba.5 Cha 3038 to Chandni Chowk in Tangalaphant. Eyewitnesses saw the fire ignite from inside the car after it was parked in an empty plot some distance from the road. CCTV footage shows a young man who was near the scene running and opening the front door of the car after seeing the fire. Investigators say that when he opened the door next to the driver's seat, his hand was burned, and he retreated, as seen in the footage.

Investigations conducted by the District Police Range Kathmandu and Kirtipur Circle revealed that Sureshchandra committed suicide by setting himself on fire. SSP Dilip Ghimire of Kathmandu told Ratopati that the investigation concluded that the car driver Shrestha set himself on fire. He said, 'From the investigation so far, no involvement of others has been found in the incident.'

Identity of man found burned inside car in Kirtipur revealed

When the police reached the scene, they used fire-fighting equipment to control the blaze, and Shrestha was found dead in the driver's seat. The 70-year-old Shrestha is a pharmaceutical businessman.

He had fallen into debt due to losses in the pharmaceutical business after the onset of the Corona pandemic. Family sources say he was under stress due to his financial difficulties. SP Pawan Bhattarai of the District Police Range Kathmandu stated that preliminary investigations suggest that Sureshchandra had recently become financially weak and may have set himself on fire inside the car due to stress.

His body is being autopsied at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital on Wednesday. Records show that the car he was driving was purchased on Kartik 27, 2062 BS with a loan from Nabil Bank. According to the Department of Transport Management records, the car is registered to Sureshchandra and Rajani Shrestha.