Nepal jailbreak fugitive detained in Ahmedabad in international drugs case

Ahmedabad city’s SOG Crime Branch has detained an Indian national who had earlier been jailed in Nepal in connection with an international narcotics case and later escaped during a prison break amid violent protests there, police said on Tuesday.

According to an SOG official, the accused, identified as Dharmesh Rasiklal Chunara, was apprehended from Ahmedabad following a coordinated intelligence-led operation. Chunara had been arrested at Kathmandu airport in July in a case registered under Nepal’s narcotics laws and was lodged at Bhadra Jail in Kathmandu.

Police said Chunara, an Indian citizen, had arrived in Nepal from Bangkok on flight TG-319 when he was detained with 13 kg of hybrid ganja, valued at approximately ₹13 crore. Following his arrest, legal proceedings were initiated in Nepal and he was sent to Bhadra Jail.

In September, large-scale protests erupted in Nepal, during which Bhadra Jail was vandalised, leading to the escape of several inmates. Subsequently, the Nepal government prepared a list of escaped prisoners, including Indian nationals, which was shared with Indian authorities through the Border Force in Delhi. Acting on the inputs, the CID Crime branch in Gandhinagar issued directions to track down the escaped Indian prisoners.

Based on these instructions, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, SOG Crime Branch, tasked officers with locating Chunara, whose complete address was not available in the initial list. Acting on human intelligence and technical surveillance, a team led by Police Sub-Inspector J B Desai traced Chunara to Ahmedabad.

During questioning, Chunara allegedly admitted that he had escaped from Bhadra Jail during the unrest and entered India via the Sunauli border before returning to Ahmedabad. He was detained by the SOG Crime Branch for further legal action and coordination with central agencies regarding his extradition and prosecution, police said.

Further investigation and procedural formalities are under way.