Where Did Shooter Babu Thapa, Accused in Justice Ranbahadur Bam’s Murder, Escape To?
May 10, Kathmandu – After two years and seven months of intensive surveillance and search, the police have apprehended Babu Thapa, the alleged shooter involved in the assassination of then Supreme Court Justice Ranbahadur Bam.
The press conference announcing the arrest of the shooter, also known as Sanubabu, was attended personally by the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The presence of the police chief underlines how challenging this case has been for the police force.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the police captured Babu Thapa, and at the press event, former IGP Upendra Kant Aryal remarked feeling as though a thorn had been removed from the police’s throat.
Babu Thapa had been on the run for nine months after escaping from jail. He fled the Central Jail in Jangannathdewal, Sundhara, during the Jenajyi (Janaji) movement protests held on September 8 and 9, 2022.
A dedicated team from the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office has been continuously searching for him. However, even after nine months, he remains at large. “We are persistently working on this. Although some leads have appeared, we have yet to locate him,” an official from the Crime Investigation Office said.
According to a senior investigator, Thapa has not fled abroad. Although there have been tips that he has been changing his appearance and locations within Nepal, the police have been unable to capture him.
Police officers have stated that Thapa avoids using his own phone and contacts others through borrowed phones when necessary. Despite ongoing police efforts, the shooter has successfully evaded capture and remains in hiding.
Thapa shot and killed Justice Ranbahadur Bam at UN Park on June 1, 2012 (Jestha 18, 2069 BS). According to CIB’s former Deputy Inspector General Hemanta Malla Thakuri (now retired), the primary motive behind the murder was a controversial decision made by Bam.
The murder was rooted in a dispute within the Churebhar National Party. Initially, consensus was reached to select Keshav Mainali as party chairman, but later a separate convention was held, resulting in the controversy reaching the Election Commission.
The Election Commission recognized Babu Thapa’s faction as legitimate. Mainali challenged this in the Supreme Court. A single bench of the court issued an interim order suspending the implementation of this recognition.
At that time, Thapa, who believed he was about to become Home Minister, perceived the court order as a termination of his political career. The investigation revealed that this led him to plan and execute the assassination.
Later, Thapa adopted the name “Amar Nepal” and founded the Nepal Janata Swatantra Swabhiman Party. In October 2010 (Ashoj 2067), while serving time in Jaleshwor Jail on charges of abduction and hostage-taking, he became associated with Shiv Chaudhary. After Chaudhary was released from jail, Thapa brought him to Kathmandu.
Along with Chaudhary, Deepak Kumar Karn, Sanjay Smiley Magar, and Premraj Khadka, Thapa conspired to murder Justice Bam.
According to the plan, Thapa’s group assembled four pistols and a motorcycle. After visiting Bangalamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, they stopped the car in which Bam was traveling and shot him. Four members, including Thapa, were sentenced to life imprisonment, while Premraj Khadka received five years.
Shooter in Lal Mohammad Murder Also Remains Fugitive
Babu Thapa is not the only shooter absconding; other accused shooters in similar cases also remain at large. The shooter in the murder of Nepali citizen Lal Mohammad also escaped during the Jenajyi movement from the Central Jail.
Guddu Patel from Motihari–5, Raxaul, Bihar, India, is the main accused shooter in Mohammad’s murder. Mohammad was involved in counterfeit currency trading. He was shot dead on September 19, 2022 (Ashoj 3, 2079 BS) in Gothatar, with Guddu being the primary shooter.
Guddu’s network is reportedly linked to the Indian underworld don Bablu Srivastava. Investigators have highlighted a series of linked murders in Nepal connected to Indian counterfeiting operations involving figures ranging from Bablu Srivastava to Chhota Rajan.
On February 1, 2025 (Falgun 18, 2081 BS), a Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office team shot and arrested Guddu in Tokha. However, Guddu had previously escaped from Sundhara Central Jail amid the Jenajyi protests and remains at large.
Police officials believe Guddu fled to India. Investigators analyzing the involvement of Indian intelligence agencies in Mohammad’s murder consider it unlikely that Guddu will be captured.
From the shooters in Justice Bam’s case to the key shooters in Lal Mohammad’s murder, none have been apprehended yet. Their continued evasion for over nine months raises concerns among law enforcement about their security and effectiveness.
The fact that key shooters remain fugitives while some accomplices have been arrested poses security threats even to investigators, according to security experts.
Over 4,000 Prisoners Still at Large Following Jenajyi Movement
Among those who escaped during the Jenajyi protests, 4,016 prisoners remain unapprehended. According to Chomendra Nyaupane, Director of the Prison Management Department, 3,390 of the fugitives are domestic prisoners.
Additionally, 618 foreign prisoners and 8 unknown domestic or foreign prisoners remain missing. These individuals had entered Nepal as refugees and were incarcerated on various charges.
Most escaped foreign prisoners are from India and China. While arrests of domestic escapees are ongoing, the department views the likelihood of capturing foreign fugitives as low.
Among the fugitives are those accused of serious crimes including murder, rape, human trafficking, and drug offenses.
During the Jenajyi movement protests on September 8 and 9, approximately 15,500 prisoners escaped from 28 prisons and 9 juvenile correction centers nationwide. Of these, 13,591 escaped from prisons and 964 from juvenile facilities.