Chinese Woman Suspected Of Spying On Dalai Lama Detained By Bihar Police

Patna: A mysterious Chinese woman was on Thursday detained for interrogation by Bihar Police.

The woman, identified as Song Xiaolam, overstayed in India and was reported to be in Bodh Gaya during the Dalai Lama’s ongoing visit.

Suspected of spying on the Tibetan spiritual leader, she was located after a 24-hour search. She is being grilled at Bodh Gaya police station, said Bihar’s Inspector General of Police (Magadh range) MR Nayak.

The Chinese woman, a divorcee with two children, came to India in 2019 before going back to China. She returned to India, went to Nepal for a few days before travelling to Bodh Gaya.

Bihar Police earlier released a sketch of Song after a security alert was issued by Ministry of External Affairs over an alleged threat to the Dalai Lama. Police also shared her passport and visa details with the media.

The 87-year-old Dalai Lama arrived in Bodh Gaya on December 22 and is expected to be in the district till February 1 for Kalchakra, a 10-day festival comprising Buddha teachings and meditations.

The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after China suppressed a revolt against its rule in Tibet, has since been closely tracked by Beijing. The Chinese government has dubbed the spiritual leader a ‘splittist’ and ‘terrorist’.

There have been multiple terror attacks in Bodh Gaya during the past decade, including nine serial explosions in Mahabodhi temple complex in July 2013.

In January 2018, unidentified terrorists planted improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at three places inside the world heritage site, Bodhgaya temple complex. One of the IEDs planted by the suspected terrorists went off but security officials were able to detect the other two.