China: "Chinese nationals arrested after crossing Indian border from Nepal... refrain from visiting border areas"

The Chinese government warned its citizens staying in Nepal to refrain from visiting the Indian border area, saying that a Chinese national who had mistakenly crossed the Indian border from Nepal was arrested by Indian border guards.

According to the Singapore Joint Intelligence Service on the 7th, the Chinese Consulate General in Kolkata announced in a notice posted on its official WeChat account the previous day that a Chinese national staying in Nepal had mistakenly entered Indian territory in the Nepal-India border area and was arrested by the Indian Border Guard.

However, it was not mentioned specifically when the Chinese national crossed the border into India and was arrested.

The Consulate General emphasized that Chinese people must obtain a visa in advance to enter India.

In particular, the border between Nepal and India is operated in an open manner and there are not many border signs, so if a Chinese person visits the border area, there is a high risk of unknowingly entering Indian territory, and if he or she crosses the border without a valid Indian visa, there is a high possibility of being arrested by border guards or police.

The Consulate General explained that India strictly punishes those who enter the country illegally, and that if they are found to have entered the country illegally, regardless of intent, they will be arrested and handed over to judicial authorities. They may be sentenced to 2 to 8 years in prison and a fine, and bail is also difficult to obtain.