During the Gen-Z protests on September 8 and 9, when demonstrators vandalized and set fire to public and private buildings, several inmates took advantage of the situation and escaped from various district jails under Sudurpaschim Province. Since then, the process of inmates voluntarily returning to prison has begun.
From the district jails of Kailali, Kanchanpur, Dadeldhura, Baitadi, Achham, and Darchula, a total of 1,403 inmates escaped, along with 52 juveniles from the Child Reform Home in Doti, making it 1,455 escapees in total. Of them, on September 12 alone, 34 inmates returned to the Baitadi and Kailali jail. By September 11, security personnel had already re arrested 64 inmates, according to INSEC district representatives.
According to INSEC representative Mainamoti Chaudhary, of the 667 inmates who fled Kailali District Jail, 24 voluntarily returned on September 11. Jail Chief Chirinjivi Sapkota informed that among the escapees, six were arrested from Tikapur and two from different locations within the district. The District Administration Office had issued a notice urging escaped inmates to return voluntarily, after which the number of returnees has steadily increased. Jail Chief Sapkota added that once transportation services resume fully, more inmates are expected to return. The Kailali District Jail, with a capacity of only 150, had been holding 667 inmates, including 55 women, at the time of the escape.
According to INSEC representative Nari Badu, following the Gen-Z protest and the subsequent jail breaks, the Nepal Police Headquarters issued a public appeal for inmates to return. In response, inmates have gradually started coming back. At the Baitadi District Jail, where 61 out of 62 inmates escaped, 10 had voluntarily returned by September 12, informed Inspector Balram Pandey of the District Police Office, Baitadi. He further stated that the police are continuing search operations to arrest those who have not yet come into contact.