KATHMANDU: Police have arrested three individuals involved in a burglary at the Mandikatar residence of senior Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen.
According to SP Pawan Kumar Bhattarai of the District Police Range Kathmandu, the suspects were arrested on different dates, and some of the stolen items have been recovered from their possession.
Police said laptops, adapters and a video recorder were seized from the arrested individuals. Investigations have revealed that the main planner of the burglary was among the prisoners who escaped from Nakhu Prison in Lalitpur during the Gen-Z movement on September 9.
Those arrested have been identified as 42-year-old Manish Rajbahak of Balaju Height, Kathmandu-16, currently living in Bansbari; 46-year-old Khim Bahadur Khadka of Lisankhupakhar-6, Sindhupalchok, currently residing in Gairigaun, Kathmandu-31; and 45-year-old Sanjay Shrestha of Dipayal Silgadhi-6, Doti, currently living in Dhunibesi Municipality-7, Dhading. Police said one of them is the burglary’s main planner who escaped from Nakhu Prison, though detailed information has not been disclosed.
On September 9, RSP Chair Rabi Lamichhane, who had been detained in connection with a cooperative fraud case, exited Nakhu Prison amid a large gathering of supporters. Following the incident, nearly 3,000 other inmates reportedly forced their way out of the prison.
Police said the burglary at Shah’s residence was planned by one of those escapees and carried out on the evening of January 28 or 29. The suspects allegedly broke the main door to enter the house and stole valuables while Shah and his wife, Sabina, were outside the Kathmandu Valley for election campaigning.
The burglars reportedly stole CCTV cameras, a DVR machine containing footage, and taps from the bathroom and kitchen.
Following the incident, teams from the Valley Crime Investigation Office, Maharajgunj Police Circle, and the Kathmandu District Police Range were mobilized for investigation. Police said the suspects entered the house by scaling the compound wall, and analysis of CCTV footage and technical evidence suggests the involvement of a professional burglary gang. Investigations are ongoing amid suspicions that others may also be involved.
At the time of the burglary, Shah, who was contesting the House of Representatives election from Jhapa-5, was campaigning in Sudurpaschim. He returned to Kathmandu after learning of the incident.
Although authorities were informed earlier, the incident was initially kept confidential to avoid public concern over the security of Shah’s residence. Police began a formal investigation after details of the burglary later surfaced.
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