KATHMANDU:- 29: Nepal Police have so far recovered 733 looted weapons and arrested 912 protestors in connection with the Gen-Z protests, while 465 damaged police offices have been fully restored and resumed operations across the country.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, during the September 8 and 9 movement, 1,342 weapons belonging to security forces were looted. Of these, 733 firearms have so far been returned, Secretariat for the Ministry of Home Affairs, said. During the movement, 1,271 weapons belonging to Nepal Police alone were looted.

Some weapons belonging to the Armed Police Force, Nepal (APF) were also lost, taking the total number of looted weapons to around 1,300. Of these, approximately 550 weapons are yet to be recovered.

Security agencies believe that some of the unrecovered weapons may have been discarded by protesters into rivers, streams or bushes, while a small number may have been hidden.

“Most of the weapons have already been recovered. Some are still missing. Our assessment is that a few may have been hidden by individuals with criminal backgrounds, while the rest were discarded,” a senior security official said while briefing the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Police said they are working under a special operation to recover, locate the looted weapons and the absconding inmates, who seized 32 additional firearms unrelated to the looting.

912 arrested over vandalism and arson

Meanwhile, 912 people have been arrested by Nepal Police on charges of vandalism and arson during the Gen-Z movement.

Police confirmed that the arrests were made from various parts of the country following the protests. The suspects face charges including murder, vandalism and arson at key state institutions such as the Supreme Court and Singha Durbar, as well as attacks on private property, looting and arson.

Some of those arrested have already been charged and remanded into judicial custody, while others have been released on bail or ordinary dates. Investigations into several individuals are still ongoing.

465 police offices fully restored

In addition, 465 Nepal Police offices damaged during the Gen-Z movement have resumed full operations after repairs.

An internal investigation committee led by DIG Deepak Regmi has reported that around 500 police offices were damaged during the unrest. Of these, 465 have now been repaired and brought back into operation.

In the Kathmandu Valley, 17 out of 18 police circles were burned down during the protests. These offices have since been made operational. Overall, 153 police offices in the Valley alone were affected by arson, vandalism and looting.

4,671 prisoners still at large

According to the Department of Prison Management, during the movement, a total of 14,559 prisoners escaped from prisons across the country. Among them, 9,869 have returned. This accounts for 67.78 per cent of the total escaped prisoners. The remaining 4,671 prisoners are still at large, which is 32.08 per cent of the total escaped prisoners. During the clashes in the prisons and the action taken

by security personnel, 19 prisoners also lost their lives.

According to the Department’s Spokesperson and Director, Chomendra Neupane, there was vandalism and arson in 34 prisons across 28 districts of the country.

“During the Gen-Z movement, 34 prisons in 28 districts of the country were vandalised, and some were set on fire.”

The department had issued a notice on September 13 warning prisoners to return to prison at the earliest possible or face legal action.

Following the notice, nearly 9,000 prisoners returned, and many were arrested. However, since the remaining prisoners still had not returned, the department issued a second notice on September 26, stating that prisoners who did not return by October 6, would face action under the Prison Management Act-2023.

Accordingly, the Department submitted a proposal to the Home Ministry along with the list of escaped prisoners.