KATHMANDU: Police on Friday paraded Santosh Karki, 30, of Ramechhap district arrested on the charge of strings of ‘syringe attacks’ in Kathmandu Valley.

The perpetrator admitted the crime and the materials he used to prick body parts of the victims were not syringes but rivets and sharp wood pins, said Senior Superintendent of Police Uttamraj Subedi at the Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu.

Karki was arrested from Maharajgunj area along with a motorcycle, Ba 47 Pa 1331, used to launch the attacks, said police.

Karki has been running a fast-food restaurant in Maharajgunj after returning from foreign jobs. Four incidents of the attack involving Karki has been reported to the police so far, while two others are under investigations

“I used a sharp wooden pin in one of the attacks. But I used rivets in others. I have thrown the rivets at the attack sites. I do not know why I launched the attacks. I could not control myself,” Subedi quoted Karki as saying. The police have launched a search for the rivets used in the attacks, said Subedi.

“We were trying to clarify that the attacks were not related to a syringe. Doctors also confirmed that syringes were not used in the attacks. We do not know why the media interpreted it as syringe attacks. The arrest of the perpetrator is expected to eliminate the fear of the general people attached to the incidents,” said Subedi.

Investigations were on to find whether the attacks were intended to mistreat women or transmit infections, he said, adding that a case would be filed against Karki.

The attacks took place on different dates, on April 14, June 1, 3 and 15. Karki has been found to have involved in all of the total six attacks, said Subedi. Four of the attacks have been reported to the police, and two others are under investigations.

Police take help of CCTV to identify the perpetrator

The police took help of the CCTV footage from the Dalku area during the investigation into the case. The footage showed a woman walking on the street with a dog and suddenly a motorcycle approached so close to her and its rider seemed to push something into her body.

Karki had his involvement in all the attacks which occurred in Thamel, Dhalku, Paknajole, Swoyambhu and Sohrakhutte areas and after 9:00 pm. In every incident, a person riding on a motorcycle comes close to a woman, seemed to touch the woman and piercing something into her body.

The motorcycle used in the incident was identified with the CCTV clip and the locals saw it in the Chakrapath area and informed to the police.

The Metropolitan Crime Division and Range took the issue unleashing the terror among mass very seriously and started investigations accordingly.

The incident happened in Banepa which was interpreted like of it was different from the nature of incidents took place in Kathmandu.

The investigation is also focused on the mental status of the perpetrator bearing in mind that the possibility of mental disorder, or psychopathy or drug abuse behind the occurrence of such incidents.