HETAUDA: Out of the 1,066 inmates held at the Bhimphedi Prison, 441 escaped during the early hours of Wednesday after prisoners from Blocks ‘A’ and ‘B’ broke through the walls.
According to the prison administration, 260 inmates from Block ‘A’ and 181 from Block ‘B’ managed to flee following the vandalism. So far, 121 of the escapees have been taken back into custody, said Prison Administration Chief Subash Poudel.
Of those, 76 have voluntarily returned, while 45 were apprehended by police and are currently being processed for return to the prison.
However, 320 inmates from the prison remain at large. A joint search operation by the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, and Armed Police Force is underway to track them down.
A violent clash lasting nearly four hours erupted between security personnel and inmates on Wednesday during the attempted mass escape. Two prisoners were injured after being shot by the army while trying to flee in a prison vehicle. Both are receiving treatment at Hetauda Hospital.
Chief Poudel explained that the army fired at the tires of the prison vehicle in an attempt to prevent the escape, and the prisoners were injured in the process.
In addition to those recaptured from Bhimphedi Prison, authorities in Makawanpur have also taken 47 escapees from other prisons into custody.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Shyam Aryal of the Makawanpur District Police Office, seven individuals who escaped from Nakkhu Prison, two from the Central Prison at Jagannath Dewal, and one from Kaski Prison have been apprehended.
Additionally, 35 inmates who had not escaped but were still in custody in various facilities have also been accounted for.
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