Laxmi Rajbanshi, 25, found dead in Fukuoka river as police investigate homicide

A 25-year-old Nepalese student has been found dead in a river in Japan’s Fukuoka, with police investigating the case as a homicide.

The woman was identified as Laxmi Rajbanshi, a Nepalese citizen who was studying at a vocational school and living in Fukuoka’s Chuo Ward, according to a report by Japanese-language news outlet Portal MIE.

Rajbanshi’s body was found on Wednesday morning, 19 August, in the Naka River in the Tenjin area of central Fukuoka. Police said an autopsy indicated that she is believed to have died during the early hours of the same day.

Police have concluded that Rajbanshi was the victim of a homicide, according to the Japanese report. The exact cause of death, however, had not yet been determined at the time of the report.

Investigators found several injuries to her head, as well as injuries to other parts of her body and hands. Police also reportedly found bloodstains and signs of a struggle inside the apartment where she had been living.

The circumstances before her death remain under investigation.

Information circulating among Nepalese people in Japan has raised further questions about what happened inside the apartment and how Rajbanshi’s body came to be in the river. A post by the Nepalese community group Hami Nepali Japan also identified the deceased as Laxmi Rajbanshi and said police were investigating the case.

Some social media posts have circulated claims about photographs allegedly taken inside the apartment and possible involvement of people known to Rajbanshi. Those claims have not been independently verified and should not be treated as established facts.

The investigation is expected to focus on evidence from the apartment, forensic examinations, witness statements and the movements of people connected to Rajbanshi before her death.

Rajbanshi’s death has shocked Nepalese people living in Japan, particularly the community in Fukuoka.

Her death was also referenced in social media posts from people claiming connections to the Nepalese community in Fukuoka. However, investigators have yet to publicly establish all the circumstances surrounding the case.

Japanese police are continuing their investigation. Until the authorities release further details, claims about specific suspects or the precise events leading to Rajbanshi’s death should be treated with caution.

The case remains under investigation.