A total of 140 inmates who escaped from the regional Bhimphedi Prison during the September 9 Gen Z protests are still on the run, authorities confirmed on Saturday. Of the escapees, 26 are Indian nationals.

During the unrest, prisoners broke through three gates and dismantled the western wall of the prison, fleeing from both ‘A’ and ‘B’ blocks. A total of 440 inmates escaped that night—260 from Block A and 180 from Block B—said Subhas Paudel, chief of Bhimphedi Prison.

Security personnel from Nepal Police, the Nepali Army and the Armed Police Force have since captured 300 escapees from various locations across Makawanpur.

“Out of the 440 who fled, 300 have been brought back to the prison. The search for the remaining 140 continues,” Paudel said.

Of the 39 Indian nationals who escaped, only 13 have returned or been recaptured, while 26 are still at large, according to Paudel.

District Police Office Makawanpur spokesperson, Deputy Superintendent of Police Pushkar Bogati, said the majority of missing inmates face charges related to narcotics and sexual assault. “We are continuing operations to locate the remaining escapees,” he said.

Police have also detained 74 fugitives who had originally fled from prisons in Kathmandu, Nakkhu, Bharatpur, Kaski and Tanahun but were later found within Makawanpur. All have been transferred to Bhimphedi Prison.

As of now, the prison houses 976 inmates, including 34 women and 44 foreign nationals. Before the jailbreak, the facility held 1,066 inmates.

Seven juveniles still missing from correction centre

At the Thanabharyang juvenile correction centre in Hetauda Sub-metropolitan City–11, 72 boys escaped on the morning of September 10. Police have since recaptured 65, but seven still remain out of contact, said Pradip Gautam, chief of the centre.

Most of the fugitives were being held on narcotics and sexual assault cases.

A total of 14,555 inmates escaped jails in various parts of the country during the Gen Z uprising in early September. Officials at the Police Headquarters recently told the Post that 10,007 of them were rearrested until recently.

Major political parties including the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML have accused the government of failing to prepare a favourable environment for March 5 elections citing thousands of the inmates out of the prisons and a large number of weapons looted during the unrest as a serious security threat.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki and Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal however have tried to assure the political parties that the authorities would ensure that the inmates and the looted weapons would not be misused during the elections.