Bhutanese temple thieves get life

by Sanjay Jha | July 9, 2008 at 11:22 pm

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Bhutan is one of the most happiest society and maintaining law and order is never a big issue. But Thieves are dealt very severly and in a recent case 7 thieves were imprisoned for life after found guilty of stealing from temple and monastries.

Seven people in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan have been sentenced to life in prison for stealing precious artefacts from monasteries and temples.
The court found three others guilty of lesser offences and jailed them for between four and nine years.
Wealthy Bhutanese often leave jewels and valuables in temples as offerings.
Thefts from the buildings started in the 1970s when Westerners first visited the kingdom, prompting fears they were being stolen to order for foreigners.
Statues destroyed
The court in the western town of Paro found that the two gangs had stolen from lhakhangs (monasteries) and chortens (temples with Buddha statues) between October last year and February.
One gang not only stole from a chorten but also vandalised it before destroying several statutes at a nearby lhakhang.