(KNSI) – The two men suspected of a possible rape in the dorms at St. Cloud State University have been extradited to Stearns County and made their first court appearances.
The alleged incident occurred on November 1st, 2024, between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. A woman told police that she walked into the lobby, and two unknown men were standing there. A criminal complaint states that they pushed her into her room, closed the door, got naked, and she was held from behind while the second person kissed her against her will.
An inspection found a bruise near her left shoulder blade from being held tightly. The student then said one of the men, now suspected of being Sujan Tamang, hurriedly got dressed and went to stand watch in the hallway while Dipak Phayal sexually assaulted her.
Tamang was seen wearing a different set of clothes after he reemerged from the room in surveillance video from the dorm. Authorities believe he accidentally grabbed Phayal’s pile as he hurriedly got dressed again in the dark. Investigators say the explanations from the two about the wardrobe change are just one example where Tamang and Phayal changed their stories during interviews in the weeks that followed the alleged assault.
Lab results can link DNA near the shoulder blade bruise to Tamang. They say the results of the rape exam found semen that is likely from Phayal. The criminal complaint says the partial fragment match means it is 100 billion times more likely the sample came from Phayal than another unknown person.
Phayal was arrested in February in Fremont, California, and extradited back to Stearns County. Tamang turned himself in to the New York Police Department. Tamang will have his next hearing on April 14th. Phayal is scheduled for an omnibus hearing on April 7th.
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