Durga Prasai arrested from Jhapa after 13 days on the run
Earlier, Prasai’s secretariat had claimed that he had surrendered to the Assam Police in India on Thursday.
KATHMANDU: Durga Prasai, the controversial commander behind the recent royalist-led violent protests, has been arrested by Nepal Police after 13 days on the run. Authorities confirmed that he was formally taken into custody in the Bhadrapur area of Jhapa district.
Earlier, Prasai’s secretariat had claimed that he had surrendered to the Assam Police in India on Thursday.
However, Nepal Police had remained silent on whether he had surrendered or been arrested. Since Nepal and India do not have a formal extradition treaty, it has long been common practice for both countries to handle such cross-border detentions informally.
In this case, Indian security officials reportedly escorted Prasai to the Kakarbhitta border, from where Nepali police took him into custody.
A team from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police had been deployed to apprehend Prasai.
Sources say he is being flown to Kathmandu via Chandragadhi Airport and is expected to be publicly presented later today.
Authorities are also collecting relevant documents and evidence for further investigation.
The arrest follows the March 28 protest in Kathmandu, where royalist supporters led by Prasai defied prohibitory orders and clashed with security forces.
The protest turned violent, resulting in the deaths of two individuals and injuries to several others. Prasai was found to be directly involved in orchestrating the event, according to a police investigation.
Since then, he had been evading authorities.
His recent public statements and actions have sparked widespread controversy, prompting the government to initiate legal proceedings against him.
After arriving in Kathmandu, Prasai will be presented before the Office of the Government Attorney, and police plan to seek a remand order from the court to continue their investigation.
