Bank Safe Swept Away By Nepal Floods Found Miles Away; 29 Detained Over Alleged Looting
Kathmandu: In a bizarre and disturbing aftermath of Nepal’s devastating floods, a bank safe swept away by raging waters turned into the centre of an alleged looting case after police detained 29 people accused of breaking it open and taking the cash inside.
The safe was reportedly carried away from the Bhotekoshi area of Rasuwa during the floods before eventually being discovered along the Trishuli River near Belkhukhola in Galchhi Rural Municipality-4, Dhading.
Police said they were alerted after receiving information that some locals had opened the safe and removed the money inside.
A police team quickly reached the area and began investigating. During preliminary searches, officers detained 29 people and recovered NPR 92,68,505, roughly equivalent to ₹57 lakh, from their possession.
Most of those detained reportedly come from Mastar in Galchhi-4. Others are from Adamghat in Galchhi-6 and Adamtar in Siddhalek-7, while some originally belong to Chitwan and Parsa but currently live in Dhading.
The suspects, aged between 19 and 49, are being questioned as police try to establish exactly where the recovered money came from and whether more people were involved.
Another Shocking Theft From A Flood Victim
The alleged bank-safe looting was not the only disturbing incident reported in the wake of the floods.
Police also arrested two people for allegedly stealing gold earrings from the body of a woman who was swept away by floodwaters in the Narayani River.
The arrests reportedly followed the circulation of a video showing two men removing what appeared to be gold earrings from the body of a flood victim.
The incident has sparked outrage, adding another grim dimension to the humanitarian crisis unfolding after the floods.
Death Toll Rises, Thousands Still Missing
Meanwhile, Nepal’s disaster authorities have revised the scale of the tragedy once again.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said on Saturday that the number of missing people had risen to 2,426, while the confirmed death toll reached 626.
The number of missing Nepali citizens increased sharply from the 1,924 reported on Friday night. The number of foreign nationals still unaccounted for remained at 517.
With search and rescue operations continuing, authorities are still working to locate missing people, recover bodies and assess the destruction caused by the floods.
For many affected families, the disaster has already brought unimaginable loss. The alleged looting cases have now added another layer of grief and anger to an emergency in which communities are still struggling to find their loved ones and rebuild their lives.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
