Pamtsho murderer sentenced to life imprisonment

Chencho Dema

The Family and Children’s Division of the Thimphu District Court yesterday sentenced Choten Tshering, 25, to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl in Pamtsho, Thimphu.

In addition to life imprisonment for murder, the culprit was sentenced to 14 years in prison for rape, which will be served consecutively. The move aims to deter similar heinous crimes in the future.

The convict was charged with two crimes: rape of a child over 12 years old and murder.

The court’s decision was supported by substantial evidence, including Choten Tshering’s guilty plea, CCTV footage showing him approaching the crime scene, a crime re-enactment video, genital examination reports and DNA evidence confirming his involvement.

The convict hails from Mongar and worked in one of the shops in Thimphu.

The Attorney General’s Office registered the case with the court on July 16.

Background

On the morning of May 23, the victim left home to visit a friend, planning to go to Dechenphu Lhakhang. Her friends had already left for Lhakhang and she followed her friends on foot, towards Dechenphu Lhakhang.

She was last seen walking towards the site when she encountered Choten Tshering, who was sitting on a culvert and smoking.

They walked a few meters before the suspect forcibly dragged the victim into the forest.

Faced with the resistance of the deceased, the convict attacked and raped the victim. He covered her mouth with earth and strangled her with a rachu (scarf). He then hid her body with his kira and dry leaves, before hitting her head with a stone.

An autopsy confirmed the cause of death as asphyxia due to ligature strangulation and suffocation due to the ground, as well as head trauma due to blunt force trauma.

The victim, a Class VI student, was reported missing when she did not return home. His body was discovered by police search teams the following day, May 24.

Police identified the convict through CCTV footage of a nearby building in Pamtsho. The camera filmed the suspect walking alone shortly after the victim.

Following the incident, the convict had fled to Paro. A manhunt was launched for the convict, who was finally arrested from Ramthangka in Paro on May 30. The police were able to track him down using the location of his mobile tower.

During interrogation, he confessed to murdering the girl under the influence of marijuana and alcohol.

The convict has a criminal record, having been convicted of malicious mischief in Bumthang.