Nepal unrest: Interim PM contender Sushila Karki's husband hijacked plane in 1973; passengers included actor Mala Sinha

Sushila Karki , Nepal’s former Chief Justice and one of three names suggested by protestors to lead a proposed interim government in the unrest-hit Himalayan nation, is married to politician Durga Prasad Subedi — who was involved in a plane hijacking 52 years ago.

Then a youth leader of the Nepali Congress, Subedi led a three-member team in a 1973 hijacking masterminded by Girija Prasad Koirala — who would later serve four terms as Nepal’s prime minister — to raise funds for an “armed struggle” against the monarchy under King Mahendra.

On June 10, 1973, Subedi, along with Nagendra Dhungel and Basanta Bhattarai, boarded a 19-seater aircraft in Biratnagar that was bound for Kathmandu. The plane was carrying Rs 30 lakh in Indian currency from India to the Nepali capital.

Among the passengers were actor couple CP Lohani of Nepal and Indian film star Mala Sinha.

As planned, the hijackers, after a brief struggle with the crew, forced the pilot to land in Forbesganj, Bihar, where five other conspirators were waiting. The group offloaded three boxes of cash before the aircraft quickly took off again with the remaining passengers.

Within a year, after hiding in various locations across India, all members of the group — except Dhungel — were arrested one by one by authorities. They were later released on bail and returned to Nepal shortly before the 1980 referendum.