Shimla: Eight Chinese nationals have been arrested on charges of visa violation after police raided a fortified house-cum-monastery in Chauntra village of Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh.

During the raids, the police also recovered currency worth Rs. 30 lakh, US $3,000 and some other foreign currencies in cash and mobile phones suspected to have Chinese SIM cards and international ATM cards from them.

The raids, which were carried out following intelligence inputs by Central intelligence agencies, continued till past mid-night.
Additional Director General of Police SR Mardi said it was too early to conclude that those arrested were Chinese spies.

The arrested persons were being interrogated by the police and intelligence agencies and nothing could be said till their interrogation was completed, he said.

The arrest of Chinese nationals comes in the backdrop of reports of renewed threat to the life of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and another Tibetan guru, Karmapa Oxygen Trinley Dorje.

The arrested Chinese nationals have been living in the house, protected by a 15-foot high wall, for quite some time and some of them were reportedly working as masons.

The police were investigating as to how these Chinese nationals managed to come together in a remote village like Chauntra.