Two arrested over alleged theft of gold earrings from flood victim in Nepal

TT, August 28, 2026, Chandigarh: Two men have been arrested after a video showing them allegedly stealing gold earrings from the body of a woman swept away by catastrophic flooding in the Narayani River went viral.

The disturbing 41-second video showed the men pulling the woman's body out of the river using wooden planks and her hair. They were then seen removing earrings from both her ears and placing them aside, while several people stood nearby and recorded the incident.

Nepal Police later reshared the video and confirmed that the two men had been taken into custody for allegedly stealing the earrings from the dead woman's ears.

According to Chitwan Police, the body was among those swept into the Narayani River during the massive flooding.

Acting on the video, police identified the suspects as 25-year-old Madan Gurung and 38-year-old Umesh Chaudhary.

The two were arrested near Pokhara Bus Park in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-1 on Thursday, Nepali media outlet Khabarhub reported, citing police.

Police said such looting and other inhumane acts against victims would not be tolerated, particularly during the ongoing disaster and rescue operations.

The incident comes amid a devastating flood and landslide disaster along the Nepal-Tibet border.

Rescue teams are searching through mud and debris for more than 1,400 people reported missing after flash floods and landslides swept through villages and other settlements.

The death toll has risen to at least 392, with entire villages reportedly washed away in the disaster.

On the Tibet side, a massive mudslide on Wednesday engulfed a multi-storey port building and swallowed a bus parking area at the Gyirong Port border crossing.

China's state broadcaster CCTV reported that mud in the surrounding area was more than 1.5 metres (5 feet) deep on average.

Roads leading to the border crossing were also damaged.

CCTV warned that further collapses or landslides could occur as rain continued in the region.

The disaster has disrupted movement across the border and triggered large-scale rescue and relief operations in both Nepal and Tibet.