Photo: Screenshot from the Buddhist Association of China

On Friday, the Buddhist Association of China announced that it had revoked the Buddhist clergy certificate of Daolu, citing his involvement in suspected fraud under the guise of assisting pregnant women and abandoned infants.

Clergy certificates, issued by the association, serves as formal proof of ordination for Buddhist clergy.

Prior to this, Daolu, accused of being suspected of criminal fraud under the pretext of funding pregnant women and supporting children, had been placed under criminal coercive measures by the police in Shangyu district of Shaoxing city, East China's Zhejiang Province.

Accrording to a June 26 statement released by the Shangyu District Branch of the Shaoxing Public Security Bureau, since May, numerous public complaints have alerted authorities to Daolu's alleged illegal activities. The police also noticed online information related to Daolu defrauding money, and filed a case for investigation on May 21.

The statement said that Daolu and three female accomplices had operated in multiple cities across Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces since 2018. Under the guise of "supporting expectant mothers and fostering children," they solicited large amounts of public donations. 

Much of the money was used for personal extravagance of Daolu and the accomplices, involving illegal use of funds and suspected fraud, according to the statement.

Authorities have imposed criminal coercive measures on the four suspects and seized, detained, and frozen the relevant property involved in the case. 

Police also found that Daolu is suspected of other illegal and criminal activities.

The case remains under further investigation. Meanwhile, the public security authority, in cooperation with relevant departments, have been carrying out follow-up investigation work in accordance with laws and regulations, according to the statement.


Global Times