11 thefts, 130 road accidents reported in Valley

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Oct. 19: The Kathmandu Valley reported 11 theft incidents and 130 road accidents resulting in four deaths throughout the Dashain festival, according to Nepal Police on Friday. 

According to the Kathmandu Valley Police Office, Ranipokhari, 11 theft cases were reported across three districts of the valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur). 

Of these, nine thefts occurred in Kathmandu, two in Bhaktapur and none in Lalitpur, according to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Binod Ghimire.

This data covers the incidents from October 3 to 14. 

SSP Ghimire said that the majority of these thefts took place during the daytime, particularly between noon and 6:00 pm.

In most theft cases, the thieves broke into houses when their occupants were absent. The police reported that some individuals involved in these thefts have been apprehended, including those implicated in a case where Rs. 1.7 million were stolen from the room of a Chinese national from Kapan, Kathmandu. 

Between October 3 to 14, a total of 130 vehicle accidents were reported in the three districts of the Kathmandu Valley. 

Four individuals lost their lives in these incidents. According to the police, three deaths resulted from negligence in driving while one fatality was due to a hit-and-run accident, said SSP Ghimire.

In the hit-and-run case, Niraj Bista, a 40-year-old resident of Biratnagar Metropolitan City-17 who was living in Kupandol, Lalitpur, has been arrested. 

He was taken into custody four days after the incident, according to SP and spokesperson for the Kathmandu District Police Office, Nabaraj Adhikari.

On the evening of October 12, around 6:30 pm, Bista’s vehicle (number plate BA 3 Cha 944) struck and injured 51-year-old Ram Binaya Mahara, a resident of Kabilas Municipality-2 in Sarlahi, who was living in Kathmandu. 

After taking the injured to KMC Hospital in Sinamangal, Bista fled the scene. Unfortunately, the victim succumbed to his injuries at 1:00 am on October 13.

Data from the police indicates that most road accidents occurred between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm. 

In addition to the four fatalities, 188 individuals sustained injuries, all of whom were reported to be in stable condition.

According to police statistics, motorcycle accidents were the most prevalent, particularly along the Thimi-Jagati roadway, said SSP Ghimire.

During the Dashain period, no arrests were made in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur for gambling-related offences. However, in Lalitpur, 11 individuals were held in two gambling dens, said police. 

The Kathmandu Valley Police Office had deployed 10,000 police personnel across the three districts as part of the Dashain security plan. Because of the increased crowd and the likelihood of thefts when people travel to their villages to celebrate Dashain, additional manpower was mobilised across the districts.

In Kathmandu alone, a team of 10 under the command of DSP was dispatched to 14 areas to prevent and reduce potential crimes during Dashain. Long-range patrols were organised on two routes, while short-range patrols were arranged on 42 routes.

SSP Ghimire claimed that no serious crimes or murders took place in the Valley during Dashain festival.

Additionally, there were arrangements for 76 QRT patrols and 24 mobile patrols. As part of the information gathering, 38 teams in plain clothes were deployed. Twenty-eight teams were dispatched for seal-and-search and cordon searches, and checks were conducted at 22 locations using ambush tactics. 

Each checkpoint was reinforced with trained dogs for crime investigation every day, police claimed.  

SSP Ghimire asserted that the Dashain festival remained safe in accordance with the planned measures.