Kathmandu: Over 4,500 inmates who had escaped during the Gen-Z protests in Nepal in early September are yet to be brought under control, Nepal’s Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal said on Tuesday.
During the Gen-Z protests on September 8 and 9, when the law and order situation was in disarray, several prisons were attacked and nearly 15,000 jailbirds convicted of various crimes escaped, according to Nepal Police.
Speaking at a security conference held in Dhangadhi town of Sudurpaschim Province, Home Minister Aryal said that as many as 4,552 escapees are yet to return to complete their jail terms. He said efforts are underway to rearrest all those who remain at large. “The number of escapees convicted of serious crimes like murder is limited,” he claimed.
During the mayhem following the Gen-Z protests, hundreds of weapons and large quantities of ammunition were also looted. Police said that more than 1200 rifles and pistols and around 100,000 rounds of ammunition were stolen amid the lawless environment in September.
Home Minister Aryal said that 727 stolen guns have been recovered so far. With Nepal scheduled to hold elections for the House of Representatives on March 5 next year, concerns have grown about the potential misuse of escaped inmates, weapons, and ammunition to influence the polls.
There have been reports that some escapees have already reengaged in criminal activities.
Aryal said the government will ensure that neither the escaped prisoners nor the looted weapons are used to create trouble during the upcoming elections. “We have increasingly succeeded in arresting the escapees and recovering the stolen weapons,” he said. “We are making every effort to seize all looted weapons and ammunition, and we will not allow these factors to affect the elections.”
(IANS)
