If there's such a thing as a national hate list, then a 42-year-old former biology teacher and his 16-year-old former student would be topping the list in Nepal today.
Biren Pradhan, an Indian who migrated to Nepali capital Kathmandu nearly 15 years ago according to local media report, became the cynosure of all eyes in Nepal since last month when he was arrested in charge of brutal murder of an 18-year-old student.
Pradhan, who had been high school student Khyati Shrestha's private tutor, allegedly abducted her to pay off the huge debt he had run up at the capital's casinos and then drugged and killed her in cold blood.
Finally, in a move that outraged the entire nation, he cut off her head, legs and arms and scattered the body parts in different areas in a bid to avoid detection.
His partner in the crime was 16-year-old Merina Shakya, a young student who had just finished middle school education after participating the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examination.
The public hatred the pair has aroused was evident Sunday when both came under attack from bystanders when they were taken to the district court in Kathmandu for trial.
This is the second time in less than a week that outraged spectators tried to attack the two inside court premises.
Even though she is still a junior girl (however, people are granted with citizenship after 16 in Nepal), Shakya's involvement arouses people's alertness: More women are being found to be involved in crimes that have been horrifying the nation.
On June 2, Kathmandu police arrested 27-year-old Sita Thapa, identifying her as the woman who had planted a bomb in the Assumption Church, one of the oldest Catholic churches in Kathmandu valley.
The hidden bomb exploded on May 23 during mass, killing two women and a school girl who were among the people praying in the church hall.
Thapa is on trial now. Her bail appeal has been rejected by court while investigations are still on to arrest seven other people, believed to have been involved in the bombing.
A third woman was arrested in January for another horrifying murder that triggered widespread condemnation in Nepal and abroad.
Uma Singh, a spirited 24-year-old journalist from Nepal's Terai plains, was hacked to death at her own rented apartment in Janakpur town in January.
After a series of protests by journalists and human rights activists, police arrested Singh's sister-in-law Lalita Devi, and Lalita's son Abhishek. They are alleged to have hired killers to murder Singh in order to inherit her property.
There is an increasing involvement of women in kidnappings, which have been ending in the murder of the victim.
Child kidnappings started growing since 2006 when a six-year- old boy, Bibek Luitel, was abducted and then killed.
Last year, the case was wrapped up after the Kathmandu district court sentenced Pateni Lama, who had planned the abduction and the murder, to life imprisonment.
The woman had hired two Indian migrant workers to do the job, and had given them a knife to kill the boy. A second woman, Sakina Manandhar, was also involved in the kidnapping.
However, Manandhar escaped lightly with a three-year jail sentence.
The Luitel murder had also outraged Nepal.
While the district court heard the case, Manandhar had to change lawyers several times after the first two quit the case due to public outcry.
Currently, trial is on in the case of seven-year-old Prasam Shah, who was abducted from Gaushala in Kathmandu last summer.
The kidnap was planned by his own aunt, Rekha Shah, who was arrested by police after they caught her accomplice, who was sent to collect the ransom from the boy's family.
The 25-year-old woman told police that she was estranged from her husband and needed money. She had planned to start a beauty parlour with the money she had demanded as ransom.