Police raid top Tibet monk's home

Police have raided the monastery of a senior Tibetan monk seen as a possible successor to the Dalai Lama and have seized several suitcases full of cash, reports said today.

Police have raided the monastery of a senior Tibetan monk seen as a possible successor to the Dalai Lama and have seized several suitcases full of cash, reports said on Friday.

HT Image

A man said to be an aide of the Karmapa, one of Tibetan Buddhism's most revered figures who fled to India in 1999, was arrested during the search on Thursday at the monastery in the northern hillstation of Dharamshala.

The Express newspaper said the cash -- Indian and foreign -- was stuffed inside four large suitcases that were taken away by police, while PTI newsagency said there were six bags.

The reports put the amount of cash seized at between 400,000 rupees ($9,000) and 35 million rupees ($765,000). The raid was in connection with the arrest of two other people carrying large quantities of cash in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday, the reports said.

AFP was unable to immediately confirm the details. The Karmapa's office did not respond to enquiries. Dharamshala is a hillstation in Himachal Pradesh where the Tibetan community in exile, including the Dalai Lama, has been based since 1960.

The 27-year-old Karmapa is officially recognised by China and in Tibet as one of the most senior spiritual leaders and is widely seen as a figure who could lead the Tibetan movement once the ageing Dalai Lama dies.