A 25-year-old Nepalese woman studying and working in Japan has been found dead in a river in Fukuoka, with investigators treating the case as a suspected homicide after discovering multiple head injuries and signs of a violent struggle inside her apartment.
The victim has been identified in Japanese and Nepalese reports as Laxmi Rajbanshi/Rajvanshi, a Nepalese vocational or language-school student who had been living in Japan since 2023. She was also working part-time at a restaurant while studying.
Her body was discovered early Wednesday morning, Aug. 19, in the Naka River in Fukuoka City’s Tenjin area. Japanese reports said police received a report shortly before 6 a.m. that someone appeared to be floating in the river. She was found face down in the water.
What happened before her death?
Investigators are working to reconstruct the final hours of Rajbanshi’s life.
According to reports, she finished her part-time restaurant shift at around 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 18 and was seen leaving on her bicycle. Her apartment was later searched by police, who reportedly found bloodstains and evidence suggesting a struggle.
An autopsy did not immediately establish a definitive cause of death, but investigators found multiple injuries to her head and forehead, believed to have been caused by a blunt object. Those injuries have strengthened suspicions that she was attacked before her body ended up in the river.
The circumstances surrounding the movement of her body are now a major focus of the investigation.
Police examine possibility of multiple people involved
The case took another disturbing turn after investigators reportedly found that the apartment showed signs of violence, while little or no obvious blood was found outside the residence.
TV Asahi reported that police are considering the possibility that more than one person may have been involved. Investigators are examining how the victim could have been moved from the apartment to the river without leaving a visible trail of blood along the route.
Authorities have not publicly identified a suspect, and the investigation remains ongoing.
That distinction is important: while Japanese authorities are investigating the death as a murder, no individual has been publicly established as the perpetrator, and theories circulating online should not be treated as confirmed facts.
A young woman building a future in Japan
Rajbanshi had reportedly arrived in Japan in May 2023 and was pursuing her education while working part-time.
Friends and classmates described her as someone who was building a life in Japan. Mothership reported that one classmate remembered her for her social-media activity and said she enjoyed making TikTok videos.
Her death has drawn attention within the Nepalese community in Fukuoka, where many Nepalese nationals live, study and work.
The case has also raised questions about what happened inside her home after she returned from work—and how her body was ultimately taken to the river.
The unanswered questions
Several critical questions remain at the center of the investigation:
- Who was with Rajbanshi after she returned home?
- What caused the injuries to her head?
- Where exactly did the fatal assault occur?
- How was her body transported to the Naka River?
- Why were there signs of a struggle inside the apartment but apparently no prominent blood trail outside?
- Was anyone else involved?
Japanese police are continuing to examine evidence from the apartment, the river area and Rajbanshi’s final movements.
For now, authorities have not announced an arrest in connection with the case.
Why this case is drawing attention
The death is particularly shocking because Rajbanshi was reportedly living an ordinary routine—attending school and working part-time—before she was found dead just hours after finishing her shift.
The investigation could ultimately hinge on forensic evidence and the timeline between her leaving work and the discovery of her body.
What happened during those missing hours may hold the key to solving the case.
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