Key Points
- Deekshya Dahal, a registered nurse from Sydney, reportedly died after falling from a seventh-floor apartment.
- The police have prepared a report for the information of the coroner with no charges laid.
- The tragedy has shocked the Australian Nepali community and those who knew her.
Deekshya Dahal, a registered nurse from Sydney, reportedly fell from her partner’s seventh-floor apartment on 2 January.
Despite the efforts of officers from Parramatta Police Area Command, who immediately commenced CPR, she could not be revived.
The tragedy has left many shocked within the Australian Nepali community.
Janaki Poudel, from Sydney, knew Deekshya Dahal as part of her daughter’s friend circle.
“I was shocked to hear the news, and if anyone is at fault, I want the truth to come out soon,” she told SBS Nepali.
Poudel, who attended Dahal’s funeral in Sydney on 11 January, recalled the sombre atmosphere surrounding the event.
“Deekshya’s mother, brother and husband were present, along with other friends, and the environment was filled with sadness,” she said.
She remembered Dahal as a “hard-working nurse” and an “empowered person”.
Usha Kiran Bariya, a former collaborator with Dahal in the 2013 Youth for Change (YFC) charity program, also expressed her disbelief.
“When the news broke, I didn’t initially know she was Nepali. Later, when I learned it was Deekshya, I was shocked and deeply saddened,” Bariya said.
Bariya recalled Dahal’s “daring” initiative to raise funds for YFC by skydiving.
“She delayed opening her parachute during the descent to create an impactful video and inspire people to donate more. She raised $5,000 through that effort, which was a significant achievement at the time. I remember thinking, ‘What a daring and motivating personality!”’
The two also collaborated on a charity program for flood victims in Nepal before Dahal shifted her focus to her nursing career.
Although they hadn’t interacted in recent years, Bariya said she remembered Dahal as a determined individual with a no-nonsense attitude, a tight-knit circle of friends, and a deep appreciation for her personal space.
The incident
On 2 January, at around 1:40am, police responded to a call about a critically injured woman found on the street near a high-rise unit block on River Road, Parramatta.
Police are seen outside an apartment building in Parramatta, Sydney, Thursday, 2 January, 2025. Source: AAP / DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAPIMAGE
Police confirmed that Dahal’s husband, 40-year-old Labindra Subedi, was arrested for questioning and later released without charge, pending further inquiries.
The couple had been married for a few years.
Responding to SBS Nepali, police confirmed that an apprehended violence order (AVO) was in place against Dahal.
“Dahal was the defendant, not the person in need of protection,” police confirmed.
The couple reportedly didn’t live together, but Dahal did not breach the order by being at the apartment.
SBS Nepali contacted Subedi, but he declined to comment.
Mysterious call and delayed police response
The case has raised questions about the police response to a triple-0 call made almost two hours before Dahal’s death.
At approximately 11:45pm on 1 January, police received a call from a number later answered by Dahal’s husband.
However, the call consisted only of “background noise”.
Emergency services attempted to call back twice, but it was only after officers from Parramatta Police Area Command made contact with Subedi that police arrived at the scene two hours later.
When asked about the delayed response during a press conference, Detective Superintendent Barry Vincent explained police were dispatched to other calls for help, and it was part of the officers’ assessment process.
“The decision-making around that is obviously something we will be looking at, including the timing and the resources we had available," he said.
“The assessment made by our officers will be explored further as part of our investigation.”
The police have prepared a report for the information of the coroner with no charges laid.
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