Bihar Police on Thursday detained in Bodh Gaya a Chinese woman who is allegedly overstaying in India and poses a reported threat to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) JS Gangwar said the police have traced the woman (Chinese) and she has been detained.
“She is being questioned by various agencies. She is being interrogated from all angles, including visa violation norms. Her questioning is on and we would be able to share details on Friday only,” the ADGP said.
The police had also issued a sketch of the woman, identified as Song Xiaolan, besides sharing her passport and visa details with the media.
Presently, the Dalai Lama is staying in Bodh Gaya. He addressed a gathering at the Mahabodhi Temple Complex on Thursday morning.
With the Chinese woman posing threat to the Tibetan spiritual leader, security was upped around the Mahabodhi Temple Complex and screening of devotees was intensified. The number of CCTV cameras around the area has also been increased, officials said.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi refused to comment on the development, saying, “It looks like a security issue, I don’t have any update on it. I certainly don’t think this is the right forum to talk about security-related aspects.”
The Dalai Lama is in Bodh Gaya for his annual discourse which is being held after a gap of two years as the same was suspended due to Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have some preliminary information about this Chinese woman whose sketches we have released. But there is nothing concrete as of now. Security is very tight in the area around the Mahabodhi temple where the frisking is intensive and the number of CCTV cameras has also been raised,” Senior Superintendent of Police of Gaya, Harpreet Kaur had said earlier during the day.