KATHMANDU, April 2: Security agencies have found it difficult to arrest Durga Prasai, who has been on the run after leading a violent pro-monarchy movement in Nepal.
Despite four police teams searching for him since Friday evening, they have not located him. On Sunday and Monday, Prasai challenged the security agencies via social media, claiming to be in Nepal.
"The Nepal Police has carefully examined a video released by Durga Prasai, but the scene in the video does not appear to be from Kathmandu. It could be from the Terai or nearby areas. We have shifted our focus there as well," said a police officer involved in the search. An official from the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that arrangements have been made to prevent Prasai from legally traveling abroad.
Prasai, the commander of the United People's Movement Committee advocating for the restoration of the monarchy, has been closely monitored at the airport's immigration and other key points to prevent his escape. While Prasai remains on the run, police have arrested his associates one after another.
Despite five days of increased surveillance by all police units, authorities have not yet located Prasai. The Nepal Police's Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), Special Bureau, Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, and the Kathmandu Valley Police Office's "task force" are actively searching for him. Police forces have been deployed at all checkpoints. Some officers suspect that Prasai may have fled to India, and one police unit has been coordinating with Indian authorities to track him down.
Durga Prasai suspected to be hiding in Lalitpur, police to purs...
Police arrested one of Prasai's associates on Tuesday evening. A special police team apprehended Devi Sangraula, the coordinator of the United People's Movement Declaration Committee, in Bhainsepati, Lalitpur. Police also arrested Bishnu Jung Basnet alongside Sangraula. Sangraula participated in the violent protest at Tinkune. Earlier, police had arrested four members of Prasai's security detail.
Prasai had posted a video on Sunday afternoon, claiming he was at a temple in Kathmandu. However, security agencies determined that the temple was not located in Kathmandu. A Nepal Police officer stated that Prasai had probably traveled to India overnight by motorcycle.
A police officer claims that Prasai traveled through Hetauda to India and that the video he posted, claiming to be at a temple in Nepal, was filmed at a temple in India. However, senior police officials remain unconvinced by this claim. Nepal Police spokesperson DIG Dinesh Acharya stated that the police are continuing their search for Prasai. "Once we arrest him, the news will break in the media," he said, "but we don't need to reveal all the details of the investigation."
On Sunday evening, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dipak Thapa instructed security officials to apprehend Prasai at all costs.
All agencies under his command are on high alert. While Prasai managed to flee, the police arrested Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) senior vice-chairman Rabindra Mishra, and the party's general secretary and MP Dhawal Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana on the same Friday night for their involvement in the protest.
Police have charged Mishra, Rana, and 11 others with treason, organized crime, and public disturbance. On Sunday, the Kathmandu District Court granted the police five days to investigate them. The court also authorized the detention of 41 individuals, including Mishra and Rana, for three days to facilitate further investigation.
A police officer involved in the search for Prasai reported that his last known location was in Imadol. Prasai had taken a taxi from there, but the police have not determined his next destination. He had been hiding at Pushkar Khatiwada's house in Imadol, where he ate apples and bananas before fleeing.
The police arrested Rana and Mishra on charges of involvement in violent activities during a pro-monarchy protest in Tinkune on Friday, March 28. The Kathmandu District Court has granted the police an additional five days to investigate them.
Two people, including a journalist, lost their lives in the violent pro-monarchy protest. Police shot and killed Sabin Maherjan from Kirtipur Municipality-4, while pro-monarchy supporters killed journalist Suresh Rajak in a fire. Rajak worked as a journalist for Avenues Television.
The violent protest, carried out in the name of the monarchy, caused billions of rupees in damages to media houses, private property, and businesses. Protesters vandalized and set fire to private buildings and vehicles in areas such as Tinkune, Baneshwor, Koteshwor, and Balkumari. They also looted the Bhat-bhateni Supermarket in Koteshwor. On the same day, the central office of the CPN (Unified Socialist), as well as the offices of Annapurna Post and Kantipur Television, were vandalized.
