Recent spates of chorten robberies in Mongar have frustrated the dzongkhag police.
Within three months three chortens were vandalised and robbed in three different villages with thieves destroying monuments and getting away with precious nangtens.
According to Mongar police, the first robbery occurred in March at Themnangbi village, a remote place 15 kilometres from the town, where an ancient manidangri chorten was hollowed out and robbed.
The second took place in Silangbi geog’s Hopola village, about two days’ walk from the district capital, on the night of April 13. A large monument, widely revered by the people, was raided from the top and all contents taken.
The third was in Chaskhar geog in Waphai village, where an equally venerated monument was desecrated and robbed. There were just some mud statues left behind.
“So far, we haven’t been able to find a single suspect,” said a Mongar police spokesman. “The villagers don’t have a clue although they have promised to cooperate.”
For Mongar, which takes pride in being the third largest reservoir of antique temples and monuments in the country, after Paro and Trashigang, the robberies come as a big blow.
The older farmers are reported to be especially hurt because they had inherited these monuments and also because they believed that such acts would deprive the future generations of their heritage.
Meanwhile, Mongar police arrested five villagers in connection with two chortens which were robbed nearly six years ago from Chaskhar village.
The chortens, in Barkhai and Hongri, about 40 kilometres from the town, were raided in January and February 1996 but the real culprits had not been found. The case re-surfaced in March this year when the Chaskhar gup reported to the police that there were two suspects in his village. In a heated argument, the wives of the suspects had accused each other of marrying a “chorten robber”. The information was passed around.
When questioned, 36-year old Rido confessed to the robbery of both the chortens, along with four other partners.
Rido told police that they had stolen three dzis, a pair of silver koma, a piece of turquoise, a silver bangle, corals, and conch a shell, and other items.
A turquoise was recovered from Rido, and a pair of silver koma was also found with an ex-Chaskhar gup who had bought it. The gup is currently under police custody.
The other suspect, Pema Rinzin, and three men - Karchung, Daza, and Kota - whom Rido implicated as his partners in crime have denied any involvement in the theft.
The case has been forwarded to the Mongar district court.
By Kencho Wangdi
