M A I N   N E W S

8 Chinese held in HP; cash, SIM cards seized
Rakesh Lohumi/TNS

Threat to The DalaI Lama They had been living in a house-cum-monastery in Chauntra village of Mandi district. The suspects had been under the police watch in the recent past Indian and foreign currencies, mobile phones and some SIM cards have been seized from them The police is taking the case seriously in view of the recent reports about threat to the life of the Dalai Lama and also the Karmapa, the next tallest Tibetan religious leader in exile

Shimla, June 12
The police has arrested eight Chinese nationals from a house-cum-monastery in Chauntra village of Mandi district. It seized Rs 30 lakh, $3,000 and some other foreign currencies in cash, along with mobile phones, some of which were suspected to have Chinese SIM cards.

It is for the first time that such a large number of Chinese suspects have been nabbed in the state. The suspects had been under the police watch for the past sometime.

Additional Director General of Police SR Mardi said it would be too early to say anything about them as search operations were still on. The only indisputable fact was that they were Chinese nationals and had been living in the house together for the past sometime. The police is investigating why the Chinese nationals who arrived in India at different times chose to live together in a house in Chauntra. The police suspects them to be associated with the Tai Sity Rinpoche, one of the two “gurus” of Karmapa Oygen Trinley Dorje who helped him escape from China.

Another religious guru from Sikkim was also living in the house. He is stated to have taken under his control the entire piece of land earmarked for Tibetan refugees. There are a number of Tibetan monasteries in the area, mostly associated with Karmapa.

The police is taking the case seriously in view of the recent reports about threat to the life of the Dalai Lama and also the Karmapa, the next tallest Tibetan religious leader in exile. The building has 20 lavish rooms with over 15-foot-high boundary wall. The police hopes to get more information about the antecedents, activities and connections of the suspects from the call details of the SIM cards.