Chinese National Arrested for Illegal Entry and Filming Sensitive Border Areas in India

Officials have identified the detained Chinese national as Liu Qunjing, according to reports. (Representational)

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) forces apprehended a 49-year-old Chinese citizen at the Rupaidiha checkpost along the India-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district on Monday. The individual had allegedly crossed into India illegally and was caught filming the border area, SSB officials confirmed.

Authorities discovered that the detained Chinese citizen had previously traveled to Pakistan, and multiple currencies including Pakistani, Chinese, and Nepalese were found in his possession, officials reported.

Ganga Singh Udavat, commandant of the SSB's 42nd battalion, informed PTI that officers who made the arrest reported the individual was recording videos of a sensitive border area after entering India from Nepal.

The commandant further stated that the detained individual was identified as Liu Qunjing from China's Hunan province.

According to officials, he lacked proper documentation for entering India. Three mobile devices were confiscated from him, with one containing video footage of several sensitive locations within Indian territory.

A map of Nepal was also discovered on his person. While the map contained English text throughout, Qunjing indicated through gestures that he understood neither Hindi nor English. SSB personnel, police, and other security agencies questioned Qunjing with translation assistance. During interrogation, the commandant revealed that the Chinese national had also visited Pakistan, though he possessed a valid visa for that country.

The commandant explained that several factors have raised suspicions about Qunjing: his travel history to Pakistan, unauthorized entry into India, filming of sensitive areas, and his claimed inability to understand English during questioning despite carrying an English-language map.

Udavat confirmed that the Chinese national has been transferred to police custody. Authorities have registered a case under provisions of the Foreigners Act at the Rupaidiha police station and formally arrested him.

Initial security agency investigations revealed that Qunjing entered Nepal from China on November 15 using a Nepali tourist visa. After arriving in the Nepalese city of Nepalgunj on November 22, he illegally crossed into India via the Rupaidiha border on November 24.