Nepal Police have detained 29 people for allegedly stealing cash from a safe that was swept away by floods in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa district and later found on the banks of the Trishuli River in Dhading.
The safe was found on August 26, 2026, at Belkhukhola in Ward No. 4 of Galchhi Rural Municipality, Dhading. According to information received by police on August 28, local residents allegedly broke open the safe and took away an unspecified amount of cash kept inside.
Police were deployed to the area and launched an investigation. During the preliminary probe, 29 people were detained. A search of their belongings led to the recovery of Rs 9,268,505 in cash.
बाढीले बगाएर ल्याएको सेफ तोडफोड गरी नगद पैसा चोरी गर्ने २९ जना पक्राउ pic.twitter.com/C1WZaqdiWR
— Nepal Police (@NepalPoliceHQ) August 29, 2026
Most of those detained are residents of Mastar in Galchhi-4. Some are from Adamghat in Galchhi-6 and Adamtar in Siddhalek-7, while others originally hail from Chitwan and Parsa and are currently living in Dhading. The detained individuals are aged between 19 and 49.
Police are investigating the source of the recovered cash and examining whether other people were involved in the incident. The detained individuals and the recovered cash are also being subjected to further investigation.
In another shocking incident, two people were arrested for allegedly stealing gold earrings from the body of a flood victim swept downstream in the Narayani River.
The arrests followed the circulation of a video that reportedly showed the men removing what appeared to be gold earrings from the body of a woman carried away by floodwaters.
Meanwhile, Nepal's disaster authority on Saturday sharply revised its figures from the devastating floods, reporting that 2,426 people are now missing, while the confirmed death toll has risen to 626.
The latest update showed a sharp increase in the number of missing Nepalis, from 1,924 reported on Friday night. The number of foreign nationals reported missing remained unchanged at 517, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
The revised figures came three days after floods swept through parts of the country, with search and rescue operations continuing.
