The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has apprehended 60 inmates who broke out of Nepal jail during the violent Nepal protests on September 8 and 9, officials said on Thursday.
The inmates have been held at different checkposts of the India-Nepal border, including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar over the last two days.
All of them have been handed over to the local police and are being questioned, officials said.
Sashastra Seema Bal is responsible for guarding the 1,751 km long unfenced India-Nepal front on India’s eastern side. The security force also guards India’s border with Bhutan.
The agency was on high alert since the Nepal protests that broke out earlier this week turned violent and led to the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
According to a report by PTI quoting officials, two or three of those nabbed claim to be of Indian origin and this fact is being ascertained.
The SSB functions under the ministry of home affairs (MHA). It has deployed about 50 battalions, translating to about 60,000 personnel, in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Sikkim that share the front with Nepal.
Nepal Protests: 15,000 prisoners flee jail
Over 15,000 inmates have broke out of more than two dozens jails in Nepal in the wake of the Gen Z protests that later turned into violence. Three inmates were killed in the clashes on Thursday during clashes with security personnel in jail.
With the deaths on Thursday, the total number of casualties among prisoners who died in clashes with security forces has increased to 8 since the violent Nepal protests erupted on Tuesday.
On Thursday morning, three inmates were killed and 13 others injured after a violent clash broke out between prisoners and security personnel at the Ramechhap district prison in Madhesh province, PTI reported quoting a police source.
“The jailbreaks began when youth protesters stormed multiple prison facilities, setting administrative buildings ablaze and forcing open prison gates. By Wednesday evening, preliminary reports confirmed that over 15,000 inmates had fled from more than 25 prisons, with only a fraction returning voluntarily or being rearrested,” The Kathmandu Post reported.
In Gandaki province, the Kaski District Prison which saw 773 escapees, jailor Rajendra Sharma said among the escapees were 13 Indian nationals and four other foreigners.