Nepal Police Recapture Two Kanchanpur Prison Escapees After Nine Months on the Run

Nepal Police have arrested two inmates who escaped from Kanchanpur Prison nine months ago, underscoring how the fallout from the September 9 prison break is still unfolding across the country.

The fugitives were identified as Madan Chaudhary of Krishnapur and Arjun Khadka of Dhangadhi. According to District Police Office Information Officer Birendra Singh Thapa, both men had been serving sentences for various crimes before their escape.

How the escape happened

The two prisoners went missing during the unrest linked to the Gen Z movement, when a large number of inmates broke out of Kanchanpur District Prison on September 9. Authorities later said 478 inmates escaped during the protest, and a large group remained unaccounted for in the months that followed.

Police and prison officials have repeatedly urged escapees to surrender voluntarily, while search teams have continued pursuing those still at large. In earlier updates, officials said 116 inmates from Kanchanpur Prison were still missing, even as others had returned or been recaptured.

Why this arrest matters

This latest recapture is another sign that Nepal’s post-protest prison security crisis is still far from resolved. Nationally, authorities have been tracking thousands of escapees from multiple facilities after the unrest, with coordinated searches, public notices, and border checks forming part of the response.

The arrest of Chaudhary and Khadka also shows that fugitives from the prison breaks continue to be found long after the initial chaos. For police, each recapture is both a tactical win and a reminder of the scale of the challenge created by the mass escapes.

What happens next

Authorities are expected to continue their search for remaining escapees and may use the arrests as part of a broader pressure campaign to encourage other fugitives to give themselves up. Prison officials have warned that those who stay hidden, or anyone who helps them, could face legal action under prevailing laws.

With the manhunt still active months later, the Kanchanpur case remains one of the clearest examples of how the prison breaks during the Gen Z movement have left a lasting security and law enforcement burden on Nepal.