Biratnagar: The Gen Z–led uprising that swept across Nepal brought chaos and destruction to Biratnagar, the capital of Koshi Province, where even senior officials found themselves defenseless.
Morang’s Chief District Officer (CDO), Indradev Yadav, watched helplessly as mobs looted and set fire to his own residence, struggling desperately to protect his family. For many ordinary citizens, the sight of the district’s top security authority left powerless underscored the collapse of state protection.
In the absence of security forces, Biratnagar’s Bhatbhateni supermarket was ransacked for four hours before being torched. As of Thursday noon, the fire that began on Tuesday had still not been extinguished.
Amid the anarchy, however, one success story emerged. More than Rs 40 million rupees (approx. US$ 300,000) in customs revenue, kept at the Biratnagar Inland Check Post (ICP), was saved through the quick thinking of bank employees.
While mobs looted 300 motorbikes, 12 Tata Safari SUVs, and several tempos that had been stored in the ICP compound for auction, the critical customs revenue was secretly evacuated.
Customs Chief Umesh Shrestha confirmed that the looting had extended even to staff residences, where clothing, utensils, cash, and even undergarments left drying on clotheslines were stolen. Yet, he credited the bravery of Rastriya Banijya Bank (RBB) staff for rescuing the cash.
Inside the ICP compound, the RBB’s collection counter held the 40 million rupees in its vault. Branch Manager Prabesh Khadgi overheard suspicious discussions near the gate, where agitators speculated about “how much money might be inside the bank.” Alarmed, Khadgi quickly mobilized.
Though the counters had closed at 2 pm, Khadgi and cashier Hari Sah returned to assess the situation. When strangers began loitering outside the bank, Khadgi realized that the vault cash was at imminent risk.
He immediately called for a cash van from the bank’s Rani branch. Together with Sah, he stuffed the money into three sacks, loaded them into the van, and dispatched it under emergency escort—two motorcycles in front and two behind. The convoy sped away, reaching Rani branch within minutes.
On the way, a bank staffer on a scooter was stopped by the mob, losing 7,000 rupees and the vehicle itself. Yet the main convoy got through safely.
Barely ten minutes later, a group of 15–20 rioters broke into the ICP counter, smashing windows and attacking the vault with iron rods. When they found no cash inside, they fled.
Biratnagar Customs typically collects about 100 million rupees daily. Because not all payments are made online, significant sums are often stored in cash. This made the vault an attractive target for looters, particularly given the ICP’s proximity—just half a kilometre—to the Indian border. Authorities believe opportunists from across the border exploited the Gen Z protests to attempt the heist.
With customs operations paralyzed for four days, trade has ground to a halt. More than 300 Nepal-bound trucks remain stranded en route to India, while cargo trucks carrying industrial raw materials and commercial goods into Nepal are stuck at Jogbani ICP.
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