What was the background to this incident? It seems important to understand this in detail because this is the second incident of this nature to have occurred in a Nepali family in the United States within a year.
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
The murder of his own wife and daughter and the death of the accused in police action . Why and how did this incident happen in a Nepali family in Fairfax County, Virginia? What was the background to this incident? Why is it important to understand this in detail? This is the second incident in a Nepali family in the United States in a year. Earlier, in August last year, a Nepali man shot and killed his wife and son in Dallas, Texas, and then committed suicide. A similar incident occurred in Bhadra 2081. In that incident, the police have confirmed that Naresh Bhatt killed his wife Mamta Kafle and hid the body. We have tried to explain this Fairfax County incident in five questions and answers : Where in America was the Nepali family murdered?
The incident in which a Nepali man murdered his wife and daughter took place in Mantua, Fairfax County, Virginia, USA. The incident took place in a well-known city located 14 miles (22 kilometers) from the capital, Washington, DC, where there is a dense Nepali community. According to the police, the incident took place on Monday, February 24 at around 5:15 am local time. Chhatra Bahadur Thapa, 50, who murdered his 31-year-old daughter Mamta Thapa and 51-year-old wife Binda Thapa, was killed in a police operation. Fairfax Police Chief Kevin Davis, addressing the incident, said that Chhatra Bahadur, who was involved in the murder, was also killed in the police operation.
Who is the main accused in the incident, Chhatra Bahadur Thapa?
The police are conducting a detailed investigation into the incident. According to public information, Chhatra Bahadur had been living in his daughter's house until now. He is a person who received a green card (permanent residence certificate) last year, i.e. on November 12, 2025. Chhatra's wife Binda also received a green card at the same time. Chhatra's address in Nepal is Rampur in Belka Municipality, Udayapur. It is understood that he has been suffering from mental illness for some time and has been taking mental illness medication for a long time.
How did this incident happen?
Although the exact cause of the incident was not revealed, the police had already investigated how the incident happened. Chhatra Bahadur had been having an argument with his wife Binda for a few days before the incident. The police found a 10-inch long sharp weapon (dau) covered in blood at the scene. “When the police arrived at the scene immediately after the incident, they found a black sharp weapon in the hand of the person involved in the murder. When they asked him to put it down, he refused and was shot and killed by police,” said Fairfax Police Chief Davis. “We have never had to deal with such an incident, this is an unforgettable incident. We are serious about this incident. An intensive investigation will be carried out into this incident.”
After the incident, the Fairfax police are searching for relatives. The Nepali Embassy in Washington, DC, has also expressed interest in the incident. The embassy has also urged relatives to contact them. Embassy official Juna Adhikari said that the embassy has coordinated with organizations related to the Nepali community in the United States to search for relatives after the incident. Speaking to Kantipur, Adhikari said that relatives are being searched for and efforts are being made to provide official information about the incident to relatives as soon as possible.
Did Chhatra Bahadur try to kill others besides his wife and daughter?
According to the police, after attacking his wife and daughter with a sharp weapon, the accused Chhatra Bahadur also attacked his 35-year-old son-in-law Santosh Kumar Basnet. Santosh, a resident of Biratnagar, is seriously injured and is undergoing treatment. Mamta and Santosh's one-year-old son managed to survive the incident. The police have already handed him over to a child care center in a safe condition.
How did the main accused Chhatra die?
The police reached the scene immediately after the murder of his daughter and wife and the attack on his son-in-law. According to US law, if any armed person refuses to put down or throw away his weapon even after repeated requests by the police or security personnel to do so or tries to attack, the police can directly take an encounter (retaliatory action). In Monday's incident, Chhatra Bahadur was killed on the spot when police opened fire on him after he refused to drop his weapon despite repeated requests from the police.
