On September 9 of the previous year, a 68-year-old woman was murdered in Ngatshang, Mongar, with a young boy confessing to the crime. Following a police investigation, the case was forwarded to the Office of the Attorney General in November, pending DNA results from the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP). The relatives of the victim have doubted the boy’s involvement, suggesting the possibility of a family member’s involvement instead. DNA samples from the deceased have been collected as part of the ongoing investigation.
The incident took place in Ny-ingala village, at the victim’s small grocery shop where she was seen tending to her cattle. During their encounter, the woman allegedly accused the boy of theft, a term she had repeatedly used against him, which incited his anger. Reportedly, he struck her on the back of the head with a wooden baton, causing her to fall face forward on sloping terrain. After the incident, the boy fled the scene, taking the victim’s phone and watch; while the phone was retrieved later, the watch remains missing, with the boy claiming to have disposed of it in the forest.
The victim was found unconscious by her granddaughter’s husband upon returning from Mongar, and though she was rushed to the Ngatshang Primary Health Centre, she was declared dead on arrival. Initially, the case was treated as an accidental fall, but suspicious bruises on her body indicated foul play, leading to a formal investigation. Despite the villagers denying any involvement, investigators noticed scratch marks on the boy’s face and neck. He ultimately confessed to the attack during questioning, although police suggested that he might not have acted alone. Nonetheless, he insisted that he committed the act alone in a fit of rage.