Kin allege PLA abducted 5 men in Arunachal

Cops sent to alleged kidnapping site

Amid escalating border tension with China in Ladakh, a report that five Arunachalee youths serving as porters for the Indian Army were allegedly been abducted by the Peoples’

Liberation Army ( PLA) of China on Thursday has created tension on the eastern frontier though there is no official confirmation of it yet.

Reports claim that the family members of the porters came to know about the incident through a wireless message of Indian Army. It said, “Five persons have been abducted by the Chinese Army at the Sera- 7 area near McMahon line.” The kin of those missing then took to the social media to raise awareness and ensure their safe return.

The Upper Subansiri district administration said that they have not received any complaint or information in this regard, but have taken note of social media reports and asked police to go to the frontier areas where the incident is reported to have taken place.

Deputy comm issioner of Upper Subansiri, Ken to Danggen, told this newspaper, “We have not received any complaint or even information about such an incident so far. Following the hype created on social media we have asked police to rush officers to the areas where these incidents are reported to have taken place. We are also trying to reach out to the Indian Army.”

Mr Danggen said that they are also in the

■ Continued from Page 1 process of reaching out to the villages and villagers who reported this incident in social media posts. Security sources in the intelligence wing, engaged in international border management, said that Indian Army headquarters have also been establishing contact with the patrolling teams operating in remote areas along the MacMohan line to verify the villagers’ claim.

The incident came to light through WhatsApp messages circulating in Arunachal Pradesh. Jarpum Gamlin, a senior journalist in Itanagar, told this newspaper that they spoke with the family members who claimed that they came to know about the incident through a wireless message of Indian Army. The message also claimed that the boys were from the Nacho administrative block and have been identified as Tanu Bakar, Prasad Ringling, Ngaru Diri, Dongtu Ebiya and Toch Singkam.

“We have received information from our village people that my brother along with four others have been abducted by the PLA near McMahon Line,” Prakash Ringling, the elder brother of Prasad Ringling told the Itanagarbased newspaper, Eastern Sentinel.

“My brother was part of 36 people serving as porters near the China border that took at least 12 days of foot march to reach a place called Sera- 7 where the incident took place,” said Prakash while saying that villagers received a wireless message from Indian security personnel about the incident.

“I appeal to the state and Central government to take immediate initiative to bring back all the five persons safely, including my brother, who have been allegedly abducted by the PLA,” he said.