The police identified today that the bus driver who died after setting himself on fire in Tripureshwor on Monday was a fugitive named Arjun Dong Tamang. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dilip Ghimire from the Kathmandu district police said the driver suffered 90% burns from the fire and later died from his injuries.
Initially, the driver was misidentified as 25-year-old Dawa Lama because of fake documents found at the scene. “He is from Sisneri, Indrasarowar rural municipality in Makwanpur district. Our investigation shows he used stolen or fake citizenship certificates, bank account details, and driving licenses to avoid being caught for several crimes,” said the SSP.
In a major bus accident in Balaju in November 2025, Tamang fled the scene after the bus he was driving rolled over, injuring three passengers. He was using a license under the name “Sunil Tamang.”
About three months before the Tripureshwor incident, Tamang had a run-in with traffic police while using the license name “Dawa Tamang.”
During the Tripureshwor self-immolation incident on Monday, Tamang showed a driving license, citizenship card, and bank details to the police under the name “Dawa Lama” as part of a dispute over a traffic fine.
The Kathmandu Police have confirmed they are conducting a specialized criminal investigation into Tamang’s connections to larger identity theft and financial fraud networks using different names. There is also an investigative committee analyzing video footage captured by bystanders at Tripureshwor Chowk to understand what happened during the fatal fire that affected the occupants of the Riddhisiddhi Yatayat bus (registration Ba 5 Kha 4274).