Heartbreaking visuals showing the alleged theft of gold jewelry from a dead body have been making rounds on the internet.
Amid rescue efforts following the catastrophic flash floods in Nepal, two people have been arrested for allegedly stealing gold earrings from the body of a woman who was swept downstream during flooding in the Narayani River.
In the 41-second video, the two men are seen pulling the woman’s body out of the water using wooden planks and her hair. They then remove gold earrings from both her ears and place them aside, while several people stand around and record the incident.
Nepal Police later reshared the video, saying the two men had been taken into custody for allegedly stealing the earrings from the dead woman.
During its investigation, Chitwan Police found that the incident involved a body that had been swept into the Narayani River during the flooding.
The two accused have been identified as Madan Gurung and Umesh Chaudhary. According to Nepali media reports, they were arrested near the Pokhara Bus Park in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-1 on Thursday.
Police stressed that looting or any other form of inhuman activity targeting victims during the crisis would not be tolerated.
The disturbing incident comes amid one of the deadliest flash floods Nepal has experienced in years. Rescue teams are wading through mud and searching for more than 1,500 people who remain missing after flash floods and landslides struck the Nepal-Tibet border.
The death toll has risen to 462.
Bridges have collapsed and buildings and other infrastructure have been swept away as the catastrophic flash floods submerged large parts of the affected region.