Detained man part of Chinese espionage: Tibetan exiles

A day after the detention of a Tibetan, suspected to be a Chinese spy, from McLeodganj, the Tibetan government-in-exile Thursday said it was part of a "Chinese espionage and terror plot against Tibetan community in exile".

Police had earlier said they had arrested Pema Tsering Wednesday following a tip-off from the Tibetan government-in-exile, but later claimed he was kept under detention.

"We have been keeping tabs on his activities after receiving a complaint from Tibetan security agencies," Superintendent of Police Balbir Thakur told IANS.

He said the man reached India in 2009 via Nepal and had been living in Delhi before moving to Dharamsala a few days ago.

As per preliminary investigations, Tsering was a member of the People's Liberation Army of China and had also served in the People's Armed Police Force.

Police have recovered an Indian voter-identity card and Aadhar card from his possession. Both were issued from Delhi.

"A terror plot to poison two Tibetan youths (in Dharamsala) by Chinese security agencies aimed at spreading chaos and terror in the Tibetan community was uncovered," the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), headquartered here, said in a statement.

It said: "This latest exposure goes well beyond Chinese government's aggressive intelligence gathering on His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the CTA and other exile based organizations to undermine the exile community."

Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959.

Over 100,000 Tibetans live in India today.