Fifty Indian nationals jailed in Madhesh Province of Nepal escaped from prisons on September 9 during the Gen Z protests last week, officials confirmed.

The fugitives had been serving sentences for crimes including murder, possession of illegal arms, robbery, drug trafficking, forgery, abduction and rape.

The largest breakout occurred at Gaur Prison in Rautahat, where 17 Indian inmates fled along with hundreds of other jailbirds.

Prison chief Manish Jha said five have since been handed over to Nepal Police by India’s border security force, but 12 remain missing.

Of the 291 inmates housed at Gaur, 264 escaped after breaking open the gates; 86 have been brought back so far, while 178 are still being traced.

In Mahottari, 39 Indian prisoners joined the mass escape of 576 inmates. Four were recaptured, but 35 remain at large. Prison authorities said only 198 prisoners have either returned voluntarily or been rearrested.

In Saptari, five Indian nationals were among 205 inmates who escaped. Two have been recaptured, leaving three still missing. Superintendent of Police Gautam Kumar KC said efforts are underway to rearrest them. “We are continuing searches in possible hideouts. They are not at home, but wherever they are hiding, we will find them.”

Police have issued a public notice warning that escaped convicts who fail to surrender will face an additional five years in prison under Section 49 of the Prison Act 2022.

Among those who fled Rautahat prison were Munif Kumar Yadav, Rajkumar Paswan and Chandrabhan Singh—all arrested in March this year for shooting a money transfer operator in Paroha Municipality and caught with weapons. Police said Munif Kumar was rearrested near the border but the others are still on the run.

In one of the largest jailbreaks in Nepal’s history, more than two dozen prisons across the country witnessed mass escapes last week after anti-corruption protests turned violent.

The jailbreaks began when youth protesters stormed multiple prison facilities, setting administrative buildings ablaze and forcing open prison gates.

According to preliminary reports, over 15,000 inmates had fled from more than 25 prisons during the unrest.

After the authorities’ notice, many of them have returned to their respective prisons in several other districts as well.

A week after 742 inmates walked out of Bharatpur prison in Chitwan, 446 voluntarily returned following a public notice from the prison administration.