CHIBA (TR) – The grieving family of a 21-year-old Nepalese student found dead in a Chiba love hotel last year is demanding answers after prosecutors downgraded his Japanese girlfriend’s charge from murder to assisting suicide, reports TV Asahi (Mar. 9).
On October 5, Chantal Badar was discovered dead face-down in a pool of blood at a hotel in Funabashi City. He had suffered a fatal stab wound to the chest. His girlfriend, 32-year-old part-time worker Mami Asaka, made the initial emergency call, telling paramedics, “He stabbed himself.”
Assisting suicide
Although Chiba Prefectural Police later arrested Asaka on suspicion of murder, prosecutors dropped the murder charge, indicting her instead on charges of assisting suicide, theft and violating the Swords and Firearms Control Law.
During her first trial at the Chiba District Court on February 19, Asaka claimed a tragic suicide pact unfolded because Badar’s parents opposed their relationship.
“We were crying on the bed, and suddenly he sat up and said, ‘If we can’t be together, I’ll die,’ and stabbed his own chest with a knife left on the table,” Asaka testified.
Investigators recovered two kitchen knives at the scene, which Asaka admitted to shoplifting two days prior. When asked in court why she stole the 220-yen blades when she had money for a hotel, she callously explained, “I figured if we were going to die anyway, I wouldn’t have to pay for them.” She added she brought them because Badar had previously mentioned “it would be nice to have a knife,” so she “took the hint.”
Glaring inconsistencies
However, Badar’s older brother, Tejin, claims the police investigation has hit a wall and strongly disputes the suicide narrative, citing glaring inconsistencies.
“My brother would not commit suicide,” Tejin stated.
Just three days before the fatal incident, during the Nepalese festival of Dashain, Badar told his family he had initiated a breakup with Asaka, noting that “she was crying a lot.” Before leaving for the hotel on the day of his death, Badar also explicitly assured his brother he would be coming home later that night.
Furthermore, Tejin highlighted his younger brother’s optimistic outlook. Badar, who was popular on TikTok and studying at a Japanese language school, was actively preparing for an admission interview at a business vocational school scheduled for the following week.
Tejin also questioned the crime scene details provided by police, including the presence of empty cans of alcohol in the hotel room, noting his brother rarely drank.
