Thai tourist Sopinut in Bodhgaya on Monday. Picture by Suman

Gaya, Nov. 24: A middle-aged Thai tourist, Sopinut, today alleged that a woman security guard deputed on the World Heritage Mahabodhi Mahavihara tried to snatch a 1,000 Baht (Thai currency) note from her on the pretext of entry fees.

Sopinut told The Telegraph: “Around 8.30am, I reached the Mahavihara with 25 other devotees from Thailand. I crossed gate number 1 but a woman security guard stopped me at gate number 2. In the security check cabin, she frisked me and checked my purse containing Indian and Thai currency. She snatched 1,000 Baht from it. When I protested, she said I had to pay that for entering the complex. I snatched it back and shouted as why should I pay money?”

Sopinut did not complain to the police or the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) office regarding the alleged misbehaviour of the guard. Instead, she came out of the security cabin and had an altercation with the guards posted there before entering the campus with her group members.

When Gaya senior superintendent of police (SSP) was apprised of the matter, he immediately asked the station house officer of Bodhgaya police station to visit the Mahavihara and look into the matter. Proper legal action would be taken in this matter against anyone found guilty, he said.

Reacting to the allegation, the deputy superintendent of police (law and order) Satish Kumar said in the evening: “We are examining the footage from the closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) to ascertain the veracity of the tourist’s allegation. If the charges are found true, then the accused guard would face strict action.”

Other devotees of Sopinut’s group allegedly paid Rs 10 each for entry into the Mahavihara campus to the security personnel posted at the campus gates. She is on an eight-day tour to India, including a two-day stay in Bodhgaya.

Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) secretary Nangzey Dorjee said no such matter had been reported to the BTMC office.

Following the July 7 serial bomb blasts in Bodhgaya and on the Mahavihara campus, security in and around the World Heritage shrine has been beefed up. Bihar Military Police (BMP) jawans have been deputed in security of the Mahavihara.

Around 120 BMP jawans have been deployed for the security of Mahavihara that includes women personnel too. A two-layer security check has been introduced on the Mahavihara campus after the blasts. Devotees have to cross through doorframe metal detectors at two places, including the main entry gate and near the reception of the Mahavihara.

The security personnel also check devotees and the tourists with hand-held metal detectors. A total of 26 CCTVs, including two night-vision high definition CCTVs that rotate 360 degrees, have also been installed on the Mahavihara campus to maintain surveillance on the campus activities. However, no CCTV could not be installed in the women’s security cabin to avoid breach of privacy.