Chinese ‘cop’ arrested in Himachal Pradesh's Mcleodganj for living illegally on expired visa for 4 months

KULLU: The police have arrested a Chinese national in Dharamshala's Mcleodganj, the home of the Dalai Lama and the headquarters of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), for living there illegally on an expired visa for the last 4 months. Police arrested Luo Wennian, 60, from a house in Mcleodganj, where he lived for around the last 3 to 5 months, on Monday.

According to his passport, Luo belonged to Sichuan province in China, and the passport was issued in Yunnan. The accused was produced in a local court in Dharamshala on Tuesday and was remanded to police custody for 3 days. "The accused entered India through Nepal and started living in rented accommodation. His visa expired around 4 months ago and he lived there illegally ever since. We have registered a case under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act," said Kangra ASP Bir Bahadur.


A police officer said that Luo carried a tourist visa issued by the govt of Nepal, which was valid from June 29, 2025 to September 26, 2025. According to the police, the accused entered India in Sept and stayed in Mcleodganj for around the last 4 months without any valid Indian visa. The police also questioned the house owner, who gave Luo accommodation on rent without filling the C-form, which is mandatory for all foreigners. He said that police were also investigating whether Luo was involved in espionage activities in Dharamshala.

"During the preliminary investigation, around 4,00,000 Chinese yuan was found in his bank account. Our forensic experts are checking the electronic gadgets we seized from the accused. We are also checking all the locations he frequently visited during his illegal stay, especially the sensitive zones from the security point of view in Mcleodganj," said the officer. "It also appears that the accused, who speaks only Chinese, served in the Chinese police," added the officer.

As Mcleodganj is the residence of the Dalai Lama and the headquarters of the Tibetan govt-in-exile, a large number of people from India and abroad visit the area every year. For security reasons, the govt established offices of various central agencies there. Last year, the Centre provided Z-category security cover to the Tibetan spiritual leader in view of potential security threats to him.