Nepal police arrest two caught on video stealing earrings from dead flood victim (VIDEO)

BHARATPUR (Nepal), Aug 30 — A video purportedly showing two men taking gold earrings from the body of a flood victim has led to two arrests in Nepal, as local authorities step up efforts to protect the remains of those killed in this week’s disaster.

The suspects were arrested on Thursday near Pokhara Bus Park in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-1 after Chitwan Police traced them using footage that had circulated widely on social media, Nepal-based English-language news outlet Khabarhub reported.

The victim’s body had been carried downstream by the Narayani River after floods triggered by a glacial landslide in the Nepal-Tibet border region on August 26.

Nepali police identified the suspects as 25-year-old Madan Gurung of Binayi Tribeni Rural Municipality-1, Nawalparasi, and 38-year-old Umesh Chaudhary of Chandabela Municipality-5, Sunsari.

Gurung is currently staying at his maternal uncle’s home in Lilachok, Bharatpur-1, while Chaudhary lives in Supari Tole near Pokhara Bus Park in Bharatpur-2, according to police.

Both men have been taken to the District Police Office in Chitwan for further investigation.

 

Chitwan Police Chief SP Rameshwar Paudel said authorities would not tolerate looting or other inhumane acts against disaster victims or the dead.

He said police had been mobilised to investigate such cases promptly and take those responsible to court.

The arrests come as authorities continue recovering, identifying and managing bodies found along the Narayani and Trishuli riverbanks following the Bhotekoshi floods.

Police have increased monitoring amid concerns that valuables could be removed from the bodies of victims, adding further anguish for grieving families.

The Nepal-Tibet floods have killed at least 691 people and left nearly 3,000 missing, with search and rescue operations continuing as authorities recover bodies and look for survivors as the clock ticks.