Kathmandu, May 1 A young couple from India's Punjab state was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a forest in northern Nepal, giving rise to initial fears that they could have entered into a suicide pact.Chandra Prakash, 24, and Neelu Devi, 22, were found dead in a forested area in Chame village in remote Manang district, near Nepal's northern border with Tibet.The couple had checked into Manang Trekkers' Holiday Hotel Friday and apparently left their room to go on a trek.They had told the hotel staff they would return the next day but when they failed to come back or contact the hotel, the authorities informed police Sunday.A search for the missing pair led to the discovery of the bodies in a desolate spot the same day.According to police reports, an empty pesticide bottle lay nearby along with a note that said no one was responsible for their death.In the hotel register, Prakash had given his profession as accountant, while Neelu was described as a housewife.The pair had put down a ward number in Punjab's Patiala district as their address. However, when Patiala police went to the area, they couldn't locate the dead couple's family, giving rise to suspicion that they may have given a false address.The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.If it's a suicide pact, then it's the second such instant by Indians in two months.Last month, an Indian tourist, G.S. Raghavendra Swami, was found hanging in his room in Hotel Countdown in the Satghumti area of Thamel.
(c) Indo-Asian News Service
