As Nepal is still trying to grasp the scale of the tragedy caused by the August 26 floods and landslides, a video began circulating on social media showing a scene that sparked outrage: two men approach the body of a woman swept away by the water and remove a gold earring from her.
In the footage, one of them uses a long object to pull the body toward the bank, while the other handles the victim to remove the jewelry. Out of respect for the deceased, the footage may be shown with the body censored.
But the video did not remain only on social media.
The Chitwan Police launched an investigation after receiving the footage and managed to identify the two men. Both were arrested on August 27 near Pokhara Bus Park, in Bharatpur, according to police.
The detainees were identified as Madan Gurung, 25, and Umesh Chaudhary, 38. Both were taken to the Chitwan District Police Office, where the investigation is ongoing.
The head of the Chitwan Police, SP Rameshwar Paudel, was unequivocal in addressing the case and assured that the authorities would not tolerate “any looting or any other inhumane act” against the victims of the tragedy or those who died. Police also asked the public to report any evidence related to thefts from the victims.
The incident comes as emergency teams continue recovering bodies that were swept away by the Narayani and Trishuli rivers after the devastating flooding of the Bhote Koshi. Many bodies have ended up kilometers from the places where the tragedy occurred, making their identification and return to their families enormously difficult.
For the families still searching for their loved ones, the emergence of this kind of footage adds an especially painful dimension to the catastrophe: they must not only face uncertainty about their relatives’ whereabouts, but also the fear that unscrupulous people may try to take advantage of the victims even after their deaths.
The two men remain under investigation and, for now, no conviction has been reported.
Here is the clip: