India’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that a 17-year-old Indian youth was “allegedly arrested” by the Chinese military after he went missing near the countries’ common border.
According to a statement on the Ministry of Defense’s Twitter account, the Indian Army has contacted its Chinese counterpart to trace and return the teenager Miram Tarom.
In a separate tweet, Tapir Gao, a legislator from the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh where Tarom lives, said the teenager was allegedly abducted on Tuesday while a friend fled and informed Indian authorities.
The Chinese foreign ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.
India and China have often clashed over their long and disputed Himalayan border, and China claims the whole of Arunachal Pradesh as part of its Tibet region.
skirmishes At least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in the Galwan Valley in 2020.
In recent years there have been several cases of Indian nationals going missing near the border, which New Delhi has often said were kidnapping attempts by China. Beijing denies this.