Kathmandu, 22 Oct: Police have arrested 76 people involved in the violent incidents that took place on September 9 (Bhadra 24). Following the Gen Z movement, the situation led to the killing of three police personnel, looting of weapons, vandalism, and the spread of terror using fake arms. According to SSP Ramesh Thapa, Chief of the Kathmandu District Police Office, among the nine individuals accused of murdering the police officers, four have been sent to judicial custody for trial. Based on the police investigation, the Kathmandu District Attorney’s Office filed a case, and the court ordered their detention. “The remaining five are still under investigation in police custody,” Thapa said.
Police in Kathmandu arrested 63 individuals for arson, vandalism, and criminal riots, one for attempted murder, and three for indecent behavior. Among the escaped inmates, 132 have been recaptured. “Of the missing weapons, 22—four large and 18 small—have been recovered so far,” Thapa added.
Those Involved in the Murder of Police Officers
In connection with the murder of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Milan Rai and Constable Uttam Thapa from Maharajgunj Police Station, 28-year-old Yuvraj Kyapchaki (permanent resident of Kavre, living in Baluwatar) and 21-year-old Sonam Tamang, alias Buddhi Lal Thing (originally from Makwanpur, residing in Chandragiri), have been sent to judicial custody. They were charged with murder and criminal offenses.
According to police, the protesters dragged Constable Thapa out of the office premises, then took him behind the Bhatbhateni Supermarket to a corner road, where they brutally attacked him with sticks, iron rods, bricks, and other sharp weapons with the intent to kill. Even after severely injuring him, the attackers humiliated him.
Phone call records show that Yuvraj was seen in the Bishalnagar area at 6:47 a.m., between 8:54 and 10:15 a.m. around Kumari Marg, at 11:37 a.m. at Uttar Dhoka, from 12:15 to 5:26 p.m. near Ring Road, and between 6 and 7 p.m. around Narayan Gopal Chowk. Another accused, Tamang, reportedly confessed his crime during interrogation in front of a government attorney.
ASI Hom Bahadur Bik, posted in Maharajgunj, testified that protesters dragged and beat ASI Rai and Constable Thapa inside the office premises. “We were on the upper floor of the burning office building. Later, the Nepal Army rescued us by helicopter,” he said. Bik was the same officer who, over the police communication set, had desperately appealed to headquarters: “Sir, police officers are dying out here on the road—please send help!” Moments later, believing death was imminent, he said, “We’ll all die within five minutes; please let everyone hear our final voice.” He and others were later rescued and admitted to Nepal Police Hospital.
Another police officer, Assistant Head Constable Amrit Gurung, was killed in Koteshwor Police Station the same day.
Identified Through Social Media Videos
Police also arrested 62-year-old Hom Prasad Paudel (originally from Sindhupalchok, living in Dhumbarahi, Kathmandu) and 28-year-old Tika Ram Bik (from Lalitpur-8, Balkumari) on charges of involvement in police killings.
According to the police report, Paudel was identified through photos and videos posted on social media. He confessed to hitting an officer with a wooden stick. Bik was also arrested after being identified in a viral video. Paudel told police that during the 2001 state of emergency, police had tortured him, thinking he was a Maoist rebel. “They hit me near my right eye with a gun barrel, and I lost vision. Since then, I’ve always felt anger toward the police,” he said. “I went to Malaysia in 2005 for work and returned after three years. Recently, I was working as a daily wage laborer. When I heard a student had died from police firing, I got angry and joined the protests.”
“When the crowd started vandalizing the Maharajgunj police building, I joined in,” he said. “We set fire and destroyed property while the officers were still inside. I even recorded the video of Rai’s beating and death on my phone, but deleted it later fearing arrest.”
Another accused, Bik, worked at the Kathmandu–Udayapur bus ticket counter in Gongabu Bus Park and lived in Balkumari with his family.
Petrol Bomb Attack on Janasewa Police Office
Police arrested two people for throwing petrol bombs and setting fire to the Janasewa Police Office. The accused are 22-year-old Sujan Shah, alias Sujal Shah Sonar (from Sunsari, living in Basantapur), and 25-year-old Indian citizen Rohit Sarawagi. CCTV footage showed their clear involvement. Shah sold clothes on the Basantapur footpath, while Sarawagi claimed to have been born and raised in Nepal, as his Indian father had married a Nepali woman.
Theft During the Protests
During the Gen Z protests, three individuals, including a woman named Resta Tamang, entered a rented room in Gokarneshwar-9 and stole items including an iPhone 11, gold rings, a chain, Rs. 85,000 cash, a watch, jacket, headphones, slippers, and a mask, according to the victim, Smriti Lama.
Resta admitted to being the person seen in CCTV footage but denied involvement in the theft. She told police her husband died in a road accident three years ago, and since then she has been working as a laundry helper while raising her 4-year-old son. Police also arrested Indian citizen Niraj Poddar (22), Laxman Thami from Dolakha, and 27-year-old Sajan Tamang from Kathmandu for breaking into and setting fire to the Valley Crime Investigation Office in Teku. Police claim they joined the demonstrations carrying looted weapons.
Bank Robbery Connection
Police arrested 27-year-old Dipak Shrestha and a minor accused of looting the Rastriya Banijya Bank branch located west of the Parliament building. According to Branch Manager Pradyumna Karki, the rioters destroyed ATMs and caused damages worth over Rs. 41.3 million. They also looted 17.769 kilograms of gold that had been kept as collateral for loans.
The minor suspect was arrested three days after the riots by a joint team of the Nepal Army and police. Authorities recovered Rs. 350,000 cash, gold jewelry, and other valuables from him. He was caught in Kavre’s Bhakundebesi area while traveling by microbus to Siraha.
“TOB” T-shirt Wearers and Fake Gun Incident
Police also investigated individuals wearing “TOB” T-shirts and riding motorcycles on September 9, but concluded that merely wearing such clothing was not a punishable offense. However, a viral video showed a youth waving a pistol while wearing a TOB T-shirt at Bijuli Bazaar bridge. That youth, named Tenzen Dawa, is now in custody. He told police the gun was fake and that the video was made for social media, not during the Gen Z protest. Police are investigating his other activities.
Threatening in the Name of Gen Z
Police also arrested Arjun Shahi for allegedly threatening government employees in the name of the Gen Z movement. He had been seen at Prime Minister Sushila Karki’s oath-taking ceremony in Baluwatar.
According to SSP Thapa, police found an ID card belonging to a police officer in his possession. The ID belonged to ASI Kumar Sharma, who works at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) and had reported his ID missing earlier. Investigators suspect Shahi used the stolen ID to threaten officials.
Shahi had been visiting various government offices claiming to represent the Gen Z movement, demanding resignations from civil servants while accompanied by YouTubers. Further investigation revealed that he was also accused of foreign employment fraud and banking offenses. He had been previously arrested on April 10, 2025, by the Valley Crime Investigation Office for defrauding people under the pretext of sending them to South Korea.
