The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has launched a fresh a man-hunt to nab long-time fugitives.

The CIB, which looks into complex and unresolved cases, has in the past one month arrested five persons who had evaded the law for over a decade. 

The law enforcement agency recently arrested Man Bahadur Budhathoki, who had been hiding in Noida of India’s Uttar Pradesh. Budhathoki was on the run for the last 20 years after murdering six women. He was involved in as many as 32 rape cases in Dhanusha and Mahottari, according to police.

Similarly, on June 15, the CIB nabbed Ganesh Bahadur Tandukar of Bhimsengola, Kathmandu, 22 years after being convicted in a hit-and-run case.

On August 7, 1994, Tandukar was driving a tempo (Ba A Ha 887) that hit a pedestrian Ram Kumar Jiwan, 59 along the Chabahil-Maharajgunj road stretch. Jiwan succumbed to injuries in while undergoing treatment at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital the next day. On January 24, 1995, Tandukar was slapped with a two-year jail term. He was on the run ever since.

Similarly, Krishna Ram Budhathoki was arrested 14 years after he stabbed Binod Shah Teli. Budhathoki had attacked Teli on February 13, 2003 in Kupandole. He was sentenced to jail for five years by Patan District Court.

Similarly, Pratap Bajracharya was arrested on May 9 by the CIB, 20 years after he murdered his wife. Bajracharya’s wife Chhaya had sustained severe injuries after he thrashed her on September 20, 1996. Chhaya had died 11 days after the incident. The Supreme Court had sent Bajracharya to two years in jail.

The CIB in April arrested Tashi Gurung for murdering an Italian man, Carraro David, in Thamel 21 years ago.

According to police, 13 men led by Tashi had assaulted and killed David at the Thamel-based Reggae Pub following a dispute after they harassed his two friends Antenola Kesraini and Lara Skibina on October 13, 1995. The gang had attacked the Italian with khukuri, knives and iron rods at around 10:30pm and he was pronounced dead in Bir Hospital.

DIG Nawaraj Silwal, chief of the CIB, said the recent move of reopening cold cases and launching a manhunt to nab the on-the-run criminals is part of police action against impunity.

“Search is underway to find other convicts who have been absconding for over three decades,” said DIG Silwal. “In many cases, culprits might start getting a feeling that ‘it has been many years and that police failed to nab’ them. So such follow-up was necessary,” added DIG Silwal, asserting that criminals must be brought to justice-sooner or later-and that the culprits can’t evade the long arm of the law.

According to DIG Silwal, the CIB has a special unit led by a DSP and that looks into the implementation of verdicts pronounced by courts.

Apart from arresting the convicts, the CIB is working on some unresolved cases.