KATHMANDU, Oct 12: Eight people including a youth involved in the theft of police weapons during the Gen Z movement in Damak Municipality of Jhapa, have been arrested with the illegal drug i.e. brown sugar.
According to police, the arrests were made on Saturday evening from a hut located in Sector A of the Bhutanese refugee camp in Damak. Acting on a tip-off that drugs were being sold in the area, a team from the Jhapa District Police Office raided the site and arrested the group. Police recovered 7 grams and 800 milligrams of brown sugar during the operation.
Among those arrested, Aditya Limbu has been identified as a member of the Gen Z group that staged violent demonstrations at various locations in Damak. Police said they found a photograph on his phone showing him posing with a stolen military-grade weapon.
Drugstore operator arrested for selling illegal drugs
Limbu, however, has denied stealing the weapon, claiming he only posed with the gun taken by others. “He has denied stealing the weapon, but we are not certain if he is telling the truth. Further investigation is underway,” said a senior officer from the Jhapa Police.
Around 800 police firearms—out of approximately 1,100 weapons reported missing, including several military-grade guns—remain unaccounted for since the widespread vandalism of police stations during the September 9 protests.
Another arrestee, Nischal Portel of Miklajung-8, Morang, had earlier escaped from Urlabari Police custody on Bhadra 24.
The other detainees have been identified as Sajan Thapa, Dipesh Tamang, Sanam Rai, Pawin Bishwakarma, Suchan Darji and Vijay Majhi, police said.
This is not the first time individuals linked to the Gen Z protest have faced serious criminal charges. Earlier this month, Yambahadur Kandel, who went viral on social media during the movement, was arrested in Dhading for allegedly murdering his mother. He reportedly beheaded her with a khukuri—a traditional weapon used for butchering animals—and held his father hostage, terrorizing the village for days.
The Gen Z protest, which erupted on September 8 and 9 demanding the arrest of top political leaders on corruption charges, initially drew widespread public sympathy for being youth-led and non-partisan. However, the movement was later infiltrated by individuals with criminal backgrounds and vested political interests.
Police say further investigation is underway into the suspects’ involvement in other illegal activities and their potential links to violent incidents during the protests.
