Kathmandu, October 15
Babu Thapa, a fugitive convicted in the murder of former Supreme Court Justice Rana Bahadur Bam, has been arrested in Sarlahi.
Thapa, who escaped from prison during the Gen Z protests, was arrested at his home in Milan Chowk, Bagmati Municipality, on Wednesday night, police said.
Sarlahi Superintendent of Police Rabindra Nath Paudel said police arrested Thapa after receiving information that he had returned home.
According to Paudel, police recovered two pistols, three magazines and 15 rounds of ammunition from Thapa when he was arrested.
Police said legal proceedings would be initiated against him at the Sarlahi District Court on charges related to illegal possession of arms and ammunition.
Thapa escaped from the Central Jail at Jagannathdewal in Sundhara, Kathmandu, on September 9, 2025, during the Gen Z protests. Police said he had since been hiding at various locations in Nepal and India.
Investigators had been searching for him based on information that he was disguising himself and using other people’s mobile phones to communicate when necessary.
Arrested after years of investigation
Thapa had previously been arrested in 2014 after a prolonged search in connection with Justice Bam’s murder. Police had monitored and pursued him for two years and seven months before arresting him and presenting him before the court.
The arrest was considered a significant achievement for the police at the time. Then Inspector General of Police Upendra Kant Aryal attended a press conference organised by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to make the arrest public. Aryal compared the arrest to removing a thorn stuck in the police force’s throat.
Thapa was then vice-chairperson of the Chure Bhawar Rastriya Party. He was serving a life sentence after being convicted in the murder case, which was linked to a leadership dispute within the party and an interim order issued by the Supreme Court.
Political dispute and court order linked to murder
Justice Ran Bahadur Bam was shot dead on May 31, 2012, in the UN Park area of Lalitpur. He was returning after visiting the Bangalamukhi Temple when gunmen stopped his vehicle and opened fire.
According to the police investigation, a leadership dispute within the Chure Bhawar Rastriya Party and an interim order issued by the Supreme Court were linked to the background of the murder.
The party’s leadership dispute had reached the Election Commission, which recognised the faction led by Bab Thapa as the legitimate leadership instead of the faction led by Keshav Mainali.
Mainali challenged the decision at the Supreme Court. Justice Bam, sitting on a single bench, subsequently issued an interim order directing that the Election Commission’s decision recognising Thapa’s faction not be implemented.
Investigators concluded that Thapa had planned the murder after believing the court order would end his political future. Officials involved in the investigation also identified the party’s internal dispute and the court order as key factors behind the killing.
Thapa had remained at large since escaping from prison during the Gen Z protests. Police eventually arrested him at his home in Sarlahi after being unable to establish his whereabouts for an extended period.
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