During last week’s violent protests in Nepal, thousands of prisoners escaped from different prisons. Authorities have now confirmed that more than 3,700 of them have been caught again. Among those re-arrested are two Nigerians.
According to the Press Trust of India, the arrests happened on Saturday in Bihar State, India. Officers from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) stopped the escapees at Jainagar while they were trying to cross the border back into Nepal.
The SSB is India’s security force responsible for guarding the borders with Nepal and Bhutan. Officials said the fugitives were caught over the last few days after taking advantage of the unrest in Nepal to break out of prison.
Nepal Police spokesperson, Deputy Inspector General Binod Ghimire, reported that 3,723 inmates are back in jail, but about 10,320 are still on the run. He also warned the public to remain cautious.
The prison break included two Nigerians, a Brazilian, and a Bangladeshi, along with thousands of Nepalese prisoners. In total, more than 13,500 inmates escaped within 24 hours during the “Gen Z” protest movement, which has caused the country’s worst security crisis in decades.
The jailbreak has also alarmed India because some of the fugitives are linked to criminal gangs and cross-border crime along the Bihar and Uttar Pradesh border.
Although a few escapees said they would return once the protests calm down, most remain untraceable.
The crisis has become more difficult to handle because court files were destroyed in arson attacks, making it harder for authorities to follow up on cases.
According to DIG Ghimire, the Nepali Army, Nepal Police, and Armed Police Force are working together in a joint campaign to track down the remaining fugitives.
Among those who escaped are some of Nepal’s most notorious criminals and political figures. One is Sanjay “Takla” Sah, a former junior minister convicted for the 2012 Janakpur bomb blast and the 2007 killing of businessman Arun Kumar Singhania.
Others include kidnapper Uday Shetti, known for cross-border operations, former deputy prime minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, who faces trial in a fake refugee scam, and ex-home secretary Tek Narayan Pandey.
The killing of Singhania had earlier caused outrage in Bihar and Jharkhand, where his family is still active in both business and media.
