Chinese nat'l held by BSF along India-B'desh border

Kolkata: A Chinese national was apprehended by the Border Security Force (BSF) along the India-Bangladesh international border in West Bengal on Thursday, officials said. The 35-year-old man, dressed in a black sweatshirt, pants and shoes, was "intercepted" by a BSF party around 7 am when he was "infiltrating" into the Indian territory after crossing the border in Malda district, they said.

A Chinese passport bearing a Bangladeshi visa, a laptop and three mobile phone SIM cards were found on the man who was identified by security officials as Junwei Han. He has been kept at the Kaliachak post of the border guarding force, and a BSF spokesperson in Delhi said an "interview of the individual is underway by agencies concerned".

Sources said the Chinese man does not probably understand English, and hence, a security officer conversant in the Mandarin language has been called in for a joint questioning session by officials of the BSF, local police and the intelligence agencies.

Further details and the reasons for his venturing into the Indian side will be known once the session ends, they said.

Headquartered in Kolkata, the BSF's South Bengal Frontier guards the India-Bangladesh international border in this area.