#NIMJNDoc | 21 Years Gone: A Journey Home
Arrested abroad, cut off from family for eleven years. One Nepali migrant's journey through a Malaysian prison and back home.
Imagine waiting at the airport for someone you haven’t seen in over two decades. For Nirmaya Sunar, that person was her husband. Her son, Jeevan, only knew his father from an old photograph. Jeevan was just one and a half years old when his father, Suklal, left their home in Nuwakot to work in Malaysia.
For 11 years, the family had no news; they didn’t even know if he was alive. Soon after leaving his unpaid job, he was arrested by the police on his way to the grocery store “on charges of selling and using drugs.”
However, Suklal says he was framed. He spent more than three and a half years in prison. One day, he was punished with 10 lashes, a pain so severe he couldn’t sit down afterward. During those dark phases, he says he woke up several times each night to pray for his family.
The turning point came when a friend from prison, Rohit, returned to Nepal to inform Suklal’s family about his condition in Malaysia. Sharamik Sanjal- a network of migrant workers- supported in finding the family.
On January 15, 2026, Suklal landed in Kathmandu. The next day, he traveled to his village, Myagang in Nuwakot, 70 kilometers north-west of Kathmandu, to see his elderly mother, who had waited for him all this time. At his home, his family and neighbors were waiting. “I feel like I have been given a new life,” Suklal said.
See the reunion:
👉 On Youtube: #NIMJNDoc #Episode2 | मलेसियाको जेलबाट २१ वर्षपछि घर फर्किँदा
🎬 On Facebook: #NIMJNDocEpisode2
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#NIMJNDOC #SMCScam
Is your digital wallet safe? NIMJN’s recent investigation reveals a massive financial scam orchestrated through the SMC Mobile App, involving over 70,000 registered users. According to the Nepal Police Cyber Bureau, 600 victims have come forward so far, documenting a total loss exceeding Rs. 12 Crore. After 45 days of reporting, NIMJN’s documentary takes a deep dive into this scandal. We uncover the methods used to exploit public trust and examine the devastating impact on the victims.
SMC App Scam in Nepal’s villages
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The NIMJN Team