On August 3 this year two chortens were robbed in one of the secluded meditation centers in Mongar known as Tshephu Dubdey. Police managed to recover a few religious items, among them 8 pieces of corals.

On the same night there was also an attempt to rob the Jangchub chorten, a huge monument revered widely in Wengkhar village. A hole was dug from the top but police say it was left halfway and nothing was taken. Police suspect that the attempt was foiled either because morning came while the thieves were still on the job or because some villagers passed by the area.

In all the cases, finding a suspect is proving difficult and this has frustrated the Mongar police.

Besides the recent thefts, three chortens in Themnangbi, Hopola and Waphai, were also robbed and vandalized earlier this year, and investigations into it have so far provided no clues.

Police sources say that thieves go for isolated chortens located either on the outskirts of a village or on its path.

The easy accessibility has spawned repeated thefts with villagers largely ignorant of the desecration until after few days.

Moreover, the far-flung villages and its remoteness give thieves an edge.

While the exact number of chortens robbed in Mongar district is not known, common knowledge is that thieves are fast depleting the district’s numerous antique chortens. Mongar is the third largest reservoir of antique temples and monuments in the country, after Paro and Trashigang.

Meanwhile, a man called Rido and his friends are under trial in connection with two chortens robbed nearly six year ago from Chaskhar village in Mongar. The verdict is expected soon.