Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, May 7: Three men have been arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping and murder of a Tibetan Buddhist monk whose body was recovered last week in Karnataka’s Dharwad district, the police said. The case has sent shockwaves through the Tibetan exile community in southern India.
The deceased has been identified as Tashi Dhondup, 39, a monk from the Tibetan settlement in Mundgod, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in exile located in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. His body was discovered near the Haliyal Bridge along the Dharwad bypass on April 29 under suspicious circumstances.
According to local police, highway patrol personnel first received information regarding an unidentified body lying near the roadside within the jurisdiction of the Dharwad Rural Police Station. Police officers and emergency responders rushed to the scene and observed multiple injury marks on the victim’s face and body, leading investigators to suspect foul play from the outset.
Authorities later confirmed the identity of the deceased as Tashi Dhondup. Preliminary investigation reports indicated that the monk had been subjected to a violent assault before his death. Police sources further stated that the victim’s legs were found tied, strengthening suspicions that the monk had been abducted and murdered elsewhere before his body was dumped near the bypass road.
A murder case was subsequently registered, and a special police team was constituted to investigate the incident. Following days of technical surveillance and field investigation, Karnataka police tracked down three suspects in neighbouring Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Sanket Sattappa Yadav, 24, Siddesh Sunil Bhosle, 18, and Vaibhav Maruti Chavan, 30, all residents of Bhudargad area in Kolhapur district. The accused were reportedly apprehended during coordinated police operations conducted across the state border.
Police officials have not yet publicly disclosed the exact motive behind the killing. However, investigators are reportedly probing multiple angles, including possible robbery, personal disputes, and other criminal motives. Authorities said the accused remains under interrogation and that further arrests or developments in the case cannot be ruled out.
The brutal killing has triggered grief and concern within the Tibetan community, particularly among residents of the Mundgod settlement, which is home to thousands of Tibetans living in exile and hosts several monasteries, schools, and cultural institutions. Community members have called for a transparent and comprehensive investigation to ensure justice for the deceased Buddhist monk.
