India claims teen 'captured' by Chinese army after going missing near border

Indian army contacted its Chinese counterpart to locate teenager, says defence ministry

NEW DELHI:

India's defence ministry said on Thursday a 17-year-old Indian youth was "reportedly captured" by the Chinese military after going missing near the countries' shared border.

The Indian army has contacted its Chinese counterpart to locate and return the teenager, Miram Tarom, according to a statement on the defence ministry's Twitter account.

#HarKaamDeshKeNaam
17 yr old youth Miram Tarom of #Zido #ArunachalPradesh was reportedly captured by #PLA across the LAC. On receipt of info, #IndianArmy imdtly contacted #PLA through #hotline. Assistance from #PLA has been sought to locate & return him as per protocol. pic.twitter.com/aq1Pv1K0RG

— PRO Defence Tezpur (Assam/Arunachal Pradesh) (@ProAssam) January 20, 2022

In a separate tweet, Tapir Gao, a lawmaker for the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh where Tarom lives, said the teenager was allegedly abducted on Tuesday while a friend escaped and notified Indian authorities.

The Chinese foreign ministry could not be immediately reached for comment.

India and China have frequently clashed over their lengthy and disputed Himalayan border, and China claims the entirety of Arunachal Pradesh as part of its Tibet region.

Skirmishes in the Galwan valley in 2020 left at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead.

There have been several instances of Indian civilians going missing near the border in recent years, which New Delhi has often said were kidnap attempts by China. Beijing denies this.