POLICE in Nepal are reported to have saved a 43-year-old Slovak woman calling herself Marichi who had been captured by a local group described as Buddhist extremists. The woman, who has been in the country for the last seven years, was found in mountains in the south of Nepal, the SITA newswire reported.
The police said that the woman was detained by supporters of Ram Bahadur Bamjan, who is considered by some of his followers to be the reincarnation of the Buddha.
The woman was allegedly captured after disturbing Bamjan during a meditation, and was imprisoned for two months, the Sme daily reported.
The Slovak Foreign Ministry has already contacted the local authorities and is dealing with her return to Slovakia since she does not have a valid visa.
Slovak officials are also cooperating with their Czech counterparts because the woman also holds a Czech passport, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ľuboš Schwarzbacher told SITA.
