Around 7,300 prisoners and detainees who fled during the Gen Z uprising have been recaptured, while more than 6,800 remain at large, according to officials.

On September 9, a day after the state cracked down on the youth-led protests, inmates broke out of prisons and police custody by setting fires and vandalising facilities. As many as 28 prisons and juvenile reform centres, and over 150 police holding cells were attacked.

Chomendra Neupane, director of the Department of Prison Management, said nearly 6,900 prisoners have been rearrested so far.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Binod Ghimire, spokesperson for Nepal Police, said 370 detainees have also been taken back into custody. Police officials said they will be investigated for the destruction of detention facilities.

Around 1,000 foreign nationals from China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other countries are on the run. Some escapees returned voluntarily, while others were tracked down by police.

Those who escaped include convicts and suspects charged with drug trafficking, murder, robbery, rape, smuggling, corruption, the fake Bhutanese refugee scam, and foreign currency smuggling. Among them were high-profile figures, including former Deputy Prime Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, former government secretary Tek Narayan Pandey, and Indrajit Rai, the security adviser to then home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa. Rayamajhi has since returned to prison.

Chudamani Upreti, alias Gore, convicted in the gold smuggling case, has also surrendered at Dillibazar Prison. Police on Tuesday evening arrested Keshav Dulal and Sanu Bhandari, accused in the fake refugee scam, from the Kathmandu Valley. Rastriya Swatantra Party chief Rabi Lamichhane, in custody in connection with a cooperative fraud case, has also returned to Nakkhu Prison.

Police have taken the mass jailbreak as a serious security threat. During the violence, over 1,200 weapons, including INSAS rifles, SLRs, and pistols, along with about 100,000 rounds of ammunition, were looted from police barracks and offices. Officials warned this could fuel the rise of armed groups.

With Nepal’s open border with India, authorities fear many fugitives may have crossed over. Security checks have been tightened at international border points, and police said escapees might attempt to flee abroad under false identities.