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Kathmandu, Nov 29:  During the ‘Gen Z’ protests, organized groups set fire to commercial buildings across Kathmandu. On September 9, the five-star Hilton hotel in Naxal was completely burned down. Protesters also vandalized another five-star hotel, the Hyatt, in Boudha. The Hyatt building did not catch fire like the Hilton, but the damage was still heavy. The hotel is now fully closed.

Several Bhatbhateni supermarket buildings in Kathmandu were also destroyed. According to police data, 228 private and government offices and buildings were set on fire across the city.

Police have intensified the search for groups involved in arson and looting under the cover of protests. Based on complaints and information received so far, police have arrested 267 people linked to these acts.

According to the Kathmandu District Police Range, which released its data on Sunday, November 23, 113 of the arrested individuals remain in police custody. Of those charged, 33 have been released on bail by court order, and 43 are in judicial custody for further investigation.

The most severe damage inside the Hyatt hotel occurred in its casino. The casino inside Hyatt Regency is Pride Entertainment Recreation Centre, in operation since September 2015. It is run by Nepali businessman Vinayak Shah and Indian national Tarun Khattar.

Based on CCTV footage, protesters arrived in two groups and broke into the casino, carrying out vandalism and looting. One person in the first group entered with a khukuri. This group smashed property inside the casino, followed by a second group that continued the damage.

Police say those involved in the looting were already familiar with the casino. An investigator said, “Most of the faces seen in the CCTV footage have been identified, and they appear to be people who knew the casino well.”

Casino operators have filed a complaint, stating that Rs 140 million in cash and property worth about Rs 400 million were damaged. Police Superintendent Pawan Bhattarai said the case has been registered and an investigation is underway. Police claim that some of those involved have criminal backgrounds, while others were casino regulars.

People’s News Monitoring Service