Police have detained two additional suspects in connection with the suspicious deaths of two teenage girls from Dhakari Rural Municipality-8, Achham, bringing the total number of detainees to four.

According to the Achham District Police Office, the two individuals were apprehended on Monday afternoon and transported to the District Police Office for further investigation. Police sources revealed that the two detainees, who were arrested earlier, had hinted at the involvement of other individuals in the incident, prompting authorities to widen the scope of the inquiry.

The bodies of 14-year-old Ishara Khadka and 15-year-old Saraswati Khadka were discovered last Friday afternoon in a forested area, around 15 metres apart.

Bloodstains were reportedly found approximately 500 metres uphill from the site, adding to suspicions of foul play.

A local witness reported seeing five individuals pushing rocks down from a hill near the discovery site. This account has led investigators to explore the possibility that falling rocks may have been used as a weapon.

Both girls’ bodies were sent to Nepalgunj for post-mortem after preliminary examinations at Mangalsen District Hospital. The family of the deceased hopes the forensic reports will provide clarity and aid the investigation.

The deaths have deeply shaken the local community. Ishara and Saraswati—aunt and niece by relation—were students at Bidya Prabodhini Secondary School and had gone missing on Friday after heading to a forest near their winter farmland. Their goats returned home, but the girls did not. After hours of searching, locals discovered their bodies the next day.

The Khadka family has dismissed the possibility of an accident and believes they were killed. “It was not an accident, it was a planned murder,” said Saraswati’s sister-in-law. “We demand a thorough investigation.”

The police have said that evidence collection is ongoing. “The girls sustained head injuries, and the presence of blood uphill suggests foul play,” said DSP Ishwari Prasad Bhandari, the chief of Achham District Police Office. “However, we need more concrete evidence before drawing conclusions.”

The local administration has intensified its efforts, with the involvement of a trained dog from the Kohalpur canine branch to assist in evidence gathering. Chief District Officer Shiva Prasad Lamsal has assured the public of an impartial investigation, promising to leave no stone unturned.

The fathers of the two girls, both of whom were working in India, are expected to return home soon to lodge formal complaints. Meanwhile, local residents and community leaders are urging swift action to ensure justice for the victims.