KATHMANDU, Sep 12: Nepal Police has called on all inmates who escaped during the Gen Z protests to contact authorities immediately.
More than 14,500 individuals—both detainees in judicial custody and convicted prisoners—escaped from prisons on September 9 and 10 during nationwide violence triggered by the deaths of young protesters on September 8.
Inmates in nearly all prisons broke out after staging violent demonstrations, setting fires, and vandalizing prison property, overwhelming the outnumbered security guards.
Police have requested fugitives to promptly return to prison or report to their respective District Police Offices, local police units, the Department of Prison Management, or other security agencies in their areas.
Seven escaped prisoners arrested in Jhapa
According to police, around 1,500 fugitives have so far been arrested or forced to return, while the majority remain at large.
More than 500 detainees who had been under police custody for investigation also escaped from police stations. Authorities say they are struggling to track their whereabouts.
Police on Thursday arrested Sanjay Shah, also known as Takla—a former state minister serving a 12-year sentence for the Janakpur bomb blast—after he escaped from Nakkhu Prison on Wednesday. Nearly all 1,300 inmates escaped from the Nakkhu Prison after vandalizing the facility and overpowering security personnel.
Similarly, 13 inmates who escaped from Gaur Prison in Rautahat district and crossed into India were apprehended by the Indian police and handed over to Nepali authorities.
In Kathmandu alone, more than 3,300 prisoners, including Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Ravi Lamichhane, fled from Nakkhu Prison and 1,400 from the Central Prison. However, no inmates managed to escape Dillibazar’s Charkhal Prison, where hundreds staged demonstrations until late Wednesday night under the close watch of the Nepali Army.
Mass prison breaks were also reported outside the capital: nearly 800 inmates fled in Kaski, 700 in Chitwan, about 500 in Kapilvastu, over 1,500 in Sunsari, nearly 400 in Saptari, about 100 in Solukhumbu, nearly 500 in Banke, over 600 in Kailali, 100 in Dadeldhura, and 300 in Dang, among others.
Convicts of heinous crimes—including murder, rape, and human trafficking—are among those who escaped, raising security concerns for victims and the general public.
In Kaski, five underage convicts housed at a juvenile correction center in Sarangkot were killed on Wednesday when police opened fire after about 90 inmates attempted to break through the main gate.
Two convicts were killed and seven others injured in Dhading Prison on Wednesday, while two more convicts were killed and 10 others injured in Ramechhap Prison today after the Nepali Army opened fire to regain control.
Currently, Nepali Army personnel, supported by Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force, are guarding major prisons across the country.
