Lagatar24 Desk
Kathmandu: Nepal Police have arrested two men for allegedly stealing gold earrings from the body of a woman swept downstream during the devastating floods in the Narayani River, after a video capturing the incident went viral on social media.
Suspects Identified from Viral 41-Second Video
The two suspects were arrested after police identified them from a 41-second video showing them pulling the woman’s body from the river before allegedly removing earrings from both her ears. Nepal Police shared the video, confirming that the men had been taken into custody for the theft. The footage shows the two men using wooden planks and the woman’s hair to pull her body from the water, before removing the earrings and placing them aside, while several bystanders looked on, some recording the incident on their phones.
Body Confirmed as Woman Swept Away in Narayani River Floods
Chitwan Police said their investigation confirmed the body belonged to a woman swept into the Narayani River during the massive floods. Based on the video, police identified the suspects as 25-year-old Madan Gurung and 38-year-old Umesh Chaudhary, who were arrested near Pokhara Bus Park in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-1 on Thursday. Police stated that looting or any other inhumane activity targeting disaster victims would not be tolerated.
Arrests Come Amid Massive Search-and-Rescue Operation
The arrests took place as Nepal continues a large-scale search-and-rescue operation following one of the country’s deadliest flood disasters in years, with flash floods and landslides having struck the Nepal-Tibet border region, sweeping away villages, roads, bridges and other infrastructure and leaving more than 1,400 people missing. The death toll has risen to at least 392, comprising 389 deaths in Nepal and three in Tibet, with hundreds still unaccounted for.
Extensive Destruction Also Reported on Chinese Side
The disaster has also caused significant destruction on the Chinese side of the border, where a powerful mudslide engulfed a multi-storey port building and swept through a bus parking area at the Gyirong Port border crossing, leaving mud more than 1.5 metres deep on average in surrounding areas, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. Roads leading to the crossing were damaged, with authorities warning of further potential collapses or landslides amid continuing rainfall.
Rock-and-Ice Collapse Identified as Trigger for Floods
The floods were triggered by a major rock-and-ice collapse in the Himalayas, which sent a massive surge of water, mud and debris through river systems along the Nepal-China border. Rescue teams have deployed helicopters and heavy machinery to search for survivors and recover bodies from areas cut off by the destruction, with the large number of missing individuals adding urgency to the operation, as authorities in both Nepal and China continue monitoring the risk of further flooding from debris-dammed rivers and unstable barrier lakes formed by the disaster.
