Murder in Chamgang; who is responsible?

Chencho Dema

A custodial death was reported last month at Chamgang prison, where a 25-year-old inmate was fatally attacked by a 23-year-old fellow inmate. The victim succumbed to injuries sustained from a blow to the head with a wooden plank.

The incident occurred in Block Four of Chamgang prison, where both the suspect and the victim were housed in the same cell.

While the exact circumstances remain unclear, some sources indicate that the victim may have disturbed the suspect’s sleep, which could have triggered the fatal altercation. Sources say that the incident likely took place in the early hours of the morning, around 3am.

What we know is that during the altercation, the suspect used a wooden plank from the bed as the weapon.

Kuensel learned that a nail attached to the edge of the plank struck the victim’s head, contributing to the fatal injury. Sources indicated that the victim died instantly from the severe head trauma.

The deceased, who was serving a five-year sentence for burglary, was from Samtse and was in the midst of his sentence when the incident occurred.

The 23-year-old suspect, Sunil Rai, is currently serving a life sentence for double murder.

He was convicted on June 15 of last year by the Tsirang District Court for the killings of a couple in Tsirang Toed.

Sunil Rai, who was the adopted son of the couple, murdered them following a heated argument. The conflict escalated when the man reprimanded him for tearing his jacket and getting into an argument with his wife. The couple’s bodies were later recovered from a septic tank behind their house.

The couple’s 18-year-old son was also attacked by Sunil Rai but managed to escape and inform neighbors about the horrific incident, which ultimately led to the discovery of the crime.

Sunil Rai has been working with the couple on their farm since childhood. He used a machete, as the weapon in both the murders and the attack on their son.