SSB foils jailbreak spillover at India–Nepal border, detains 19 escaped prisoners amid turmoil

The death toll from the ‘Gen Z’ protests rocking Kathmandu Valley has climbed to 31, The Kathmandu Post reported, citing Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital officials

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has intensified surveillance along the India-Nepal frontier and intercepted 19 inmates who slipped out of Nepali prisons amid the ongoing unrest and attempted to enter Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

According to officials, ten escapees from Kathmandu's Dillibazar jail were caught near the border in Bihar and handed over to Bittha More and Sursand police stations in Sitamarhi district. Among them were two residents of Bihar.

In Uttar Pradesh, SSB personnel detained four fugitives at the Sonouli post in Maharajganj and another five at Khunwa in Siddharthnagar. Security agencies are questioning all the detainees.

Central intelligence agencies have warned that troublemakers might try to use the turmoil in Nepal to foment violence in adjoining Indian states. State governments have directed police to strengthen checks along the border.

"We are maintaining a strict watch," said Pramod Kumar Mandal, DIG, Purnea. Madhubani SP Yogendra Kumar added that all police stations along the boundary are on alert, with people allowed through only after thorough frisking and identity verification to prevent anti-social elements from slipping in.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the "Gen Z" protests rocking Kathmandu Valley has climbed to 31, The Kathmandu Post reported, citing Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital officials. Twenty-five victims have been identified so far, while six - five men and one woman - remain unnamed.

Postmortems have been carried out in line with international norms, said Dr Gopal Kumar Chaudhary, head of the hospital's forensic department. More than 1,000 people have been injured in the demonstrations across the region.