Hu Congtai, 29, arrived in Delhi on November 19 on a tourist visa, allowing him to visit Buddhist religious sites in Varanasi, Agra, New Delhi, Jaipur, Sarnath, Gaya and Kushi Nagar.
Taking advantage of his similarity to locals, he boarded a flight to Leh on November 20 and failed to register at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office counter at Leh airport.
During his stay, he toured Zanskar region for three days and visited important places in the Himalayan city before landing in Srinagar on December 1, officials said.
A search of his phone history revealed that he was seeking CRPF deployment in the valley, the officials said, adding that he was questioned by various agencies.
According to the officials, he had arranged for an Indian SIM card on the open market.
While in Srinagar, where he stayed at an unregistered guest house, the Chinese national went to a Buddhist religious site in Harwan, a place where a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist was killed in an encounter last year.
According to the officials and data from his phone, he had also visited the Awantipur ruins in South Kashmir, located near the Army’s Victor Force headquarters in South Kashmir.
During his stay, he had also visited various parts of Srinagar including Shankracharya Hills, Hazratbal and Mughal Garden along Dal Lake.
His phone history showed searches related to CRPF deployments and Article 370 of the Constitution, which was repealed in August 2019 to end Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, the officials said.
Hu completed his studies in physics at Boston University and claims he enjoys traveling. His passport shows that he has visited several countries, including the US, New Zealand, Brazil and Fiji, and Hong Kong.
The officials said he had broken visa rules and that at best they could deport him back to his country.
– Ends
#Chinese #man #arrested #Kashmir #unauthorized #travel #Ladakh