Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Aug 3: Security agencies will conduct joint interrogation of the three Chinese men who had strayed into Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) sector of Leh in June this year.
Three Chinese brothers – Aadil Ahmad, Mohammad Salam, Abdul Khaliq – of Aksai Chin area of China were detained by Army after they spotted them on June 14 at Sultan Chinkar in Murgo area of Leh, some 20 kilometers inside Indian territory near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. The Army later handed them over to the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
These three men who are brothers and speak only Yarkandi language are with the ITBP since they were spotted in BDO on June 12. The ITBP had got permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs for their custody that was to be renewed after every fortnight.
Now the ITBP can’t keep them further in their custody as the MHA’s permission is expiring on August 7. The MHA has asked for the joint interrogation of the Yarkandi men before handing over them to police.
Sources said that an ITBP party has left for Leh from DBO on July 30 along the three Yarkandi Chinese men and it will take them one week to reach Leh. “Once in Leh, they will be interrogated jointly by Army, ITBP, Police and Intelligence Bureau (IB)”, they added.
The security agency are seeking help from a Yarkandi speaking man in Ganderbal area of Kashmir, Mohammad Abdullah or another Kashmiri who speaks Yarkandi but is now in Delhi.
Once the joint interrogation takes place the three Yarkandi men will be handed over to the Police.
Sources said that as per the preliminary investigations, the three men are local labourers. Local Yarkandi map, some Indian rupee coins and clothes were recovered from them when they were nabbed by the ITBP.
Sources said that there was incoherence in statements of three men, except that they were mesmerised by the charm of Bollywood superstars, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan.
Sources said that they claimed that they were driven out by extreme poverty from home and wanted to come to India because they had seen it as a land of prosperity on the sliver screen. “During the interrogation they said that the movies of Khan and Roshan were a hit in their area, Kargalilik of Xianjang province. They know only two languages, Yarkandi and Uyghur”, sources added.
Sources said that the trio can’t be booked for any offence as India claims Aksai Chin as part of India. “Under Indian law the trio has not committed any offence by crossing the LAC”, sources added.
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