Nine people have been arrested following the alleged rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Nepal, a local police spokesman told the BBC. The girl was found dead last week, three days after she went missing in Madhesh province.
The incident has led to widespread outrage and continued protests across the country, with activists and politicians urging the government to enact tougher laws. Following days of demonstrations in Simara, the victim's family met government ministers and secured a written agreement over the weekend.
The government has pledged to review laws on serious offences and create a memorial for the child. The case has also prompted a wider debate on how Nepal handles young offenders, with some campaigners advocating for harsher punishments for minors convicted of rape or murder.
Police have faced accusations of negligence in the initial stages of the investigation after footage of a teenage suspect was leaked onto social media. The chief district officer of Bara district, Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, told the BBC that one police personnel directly involved in the leak has had action initiated against them, adding that more officers would be punished if found involved.
Nepalese Police data indicates that more than 25,500 accusations of rape and sexual abuse were filed between July 2017 and July 2025, with over 3,200 female victims under the age of 10.