The Himachal Pradesh Police on Thursday arrested one Indian national in connection with the illegal stay of eight Taiwanese nationals in Mandi, while a hunt has been launched to apprehend the owner of the house where the foreign nationals were staying.
A Ministry of Home Affairs spokesperson said police were trying to arrest one Bo Gangkar Rimpoche, a resident of Chauntra near Jogindernagar in Mandi district, in whose house the eight Taiwanese nationals were staying illegally, as they had tourist visas and had violated the provisions of the Foreigners Act. They were found working as carpenters and painters in the house.
Bo Gangkar Rimpoche has also been named as an accused in the two cases registered by the police, and is wanted by the police. The Taiwanese nationals and the Indian were arrested in connection with two cases in Mandi, and have been remanded in police custody till Saturday.
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Further investigation in the case is in progress. Services of interpreters for interrogation have been arranged by the police, who are looking into all angles, including the possible threat to Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama.
The police had seized Rs. 30 lakh in Indian currency, $3,000 and some other foreign currency notes, besides SIM cards and mobile phones from the Taiwanese nationals. Immediately after the arrest, intelligence agencies from Delhi arrived in Mandi to investigate the matter. Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs said the palatial 20-room, heavily guarded house in Chauntra hamlet has been allegedly built on land allotted to a Tibetan refugee.