India warns China over abduction of civilians on Himalayan border

The Indian military has alerted China to allegations five men were "abducted" by the People's Liberation Army near the countries' hotly-disputed border in the Himalayas_ an Indian official said. India's Minister of State for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju_ who is also member of parliament for the north eastern border state of Arunachal Pradesh_ said on Twitter that a "hotline message" had been sent from the Indian army to its Chinese counterparts over reports in the Indian media that five men hunting near the border were allegedly detained by Chinese troops. Keni Bagra_ superintendent of police for Upper Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh_ told that five people had reportedly gone missing_ with talk among the local community that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) "may have abducted or kidnapped them." However_ Bagra said that relatives of the missing individuals had not filed a formal complaint or report. "Since that incident occurred near the LAC_ it is beyond the reach of district administration or the police_" he added. "The local sources (family and friends) have made that allegation -- the relatives said that most probably the PLA army has taken them away. I have sent the officer in-charge to interact with the relatives. They are reluctant to talk about this." He said it was possible the individuals may have wandered across the border by accident. Arunachal Pradesh_ which has a population of roughly 1.4 million_ is home to a number of minority groups_ many of whom live close to the disputed border in the foothills of the Himalayas. India and China share a 2_100 mile-long (3_379 kilometer) border in the Himalayas_ but both sides claim territory either side of it_ and do not even agree on the exact location of the Line of Actual Control (LAC)_ the de facto border that emerged out of the 1962 Sino-Indian war. -Source: CNN