Gen-Z Protest: 6,328 escaped prisoners returned to jail, 8226 still at large

Kathmandu: Among those who escaped from prisons and child reform homes during the ‘Gen-Z’ protests, 6,328 prisoners have returned to jails so far. According to Chomendra Neupane, the director of the Prison Management Department, prisoners are returning daily.

He mentioned that some are returning voluntarily, acknowledging mistakes, while others have been brought back by the police. In the last day, 149 individuals have been returned. During the protests on September 8 and 9, a total of 14,555 prisoners had escaped from 28 prisons and nine juvenile reform homes across the country.

Director Neupane further stated that search operations are ongoing as 8,226 individuals have yet to be contacted. According to him, 13,591 escaped from prisons and 964 from reform centres.

Among those who have been contacted, there are 5,987 who escaped from prisons and 341 from reform centres. During the protests, the Nepal Police reported that about 2,000 detainees are also missing. The search for them is also ongoing, as informed by Nepal Police’s central spokesperson, Deputy Inspector General of Police Binod Ghimire.

There were a total of 30,634 inmates across the country, but currently, only 21,999 inmates are in prisons.