Chinese national detained in J&K deported to Hong Kong

Hu Congtai, 29, blacklisted for visa violation; forensic examination of phone shows he visited places of strategic importance in Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Chinese national Hu Congtai, 29, who had entered Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir in violation of his visa stipulations, has been deported to Hong Kong, officials said in Srinagar on Thursday.

Chinese national Hu Congtai, 29, who had entered Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir in violation of his visa stipulations, has been deported to Hong Kong.

The decision to deport and blacklist Hu was taken after the completion of forensic examination of his mobile phone as he had visited places of strategic importance in Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, they said.

“The Chinese national who was detained here last week has been sent to Delhi on the evening of December 10 for onward deportation to Hong Kong,” the officials said.

Hu arrived in Delhi on November 19 on a tourist visa, which permitted him to visit Buddhist religious places in Varanasi, Agra, New Delhi, Jaipur, Sarnath, Gaya and Kushi Nagar. However, he boarded a flight to Leh on November 20 and did not register at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office counter at Leh airport.

He was detained after an army unit noticed an unusual chatter on the internet. The officials had found that his browsing history indicated an interest in the deployment of paramilitary forces in the Kashmir Valley, prompting them to ascertain the purpose of his visit to the strategically important Zanskar region in Ladakh late last month.

During his stay at Ladakh, he had toured the Zanskar region for three days and visited places of strategic importance in the Himalayan town before landing in Srinagar on December 1, the officials said.

During his extensive questioning, the Chinese national said that he was in the United States for nine years, during which he studied physics at Boston University, and loved to roam around the globe, the officials said.

He also feigned ignorance about visa violation, claiming he was unaware that he was restricted from travelling to Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir and had to strictly adhere to the places mentioned in his visa, the officials said.

Hu had leveraged his resemblance to locals and boarded the flight to Leh.

According to the officials, he had arranged for an Indian SIM card from the open market.

While in Srinagar, during which he had stayed in an unregistered guest house, the Chinese national went to a Buddhist religious place at Harwan, a place where an encounter had left a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist dead last year.

According to officials, who cited data extracted from his phone, he had visited Awantipur ruins in South Kashmir, which is located near Victor Force headquarters of the army in south Kashmir.

He also visited different areas of Srinagar, including the Shankaracharya hill shrine, Hazratbal and Mughal Garden along the Dal Lake.

His phone browsing history had shown searches related to CRPF deployments and Article 370 of the Constitution, which was abrogated in August 2019 to end the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, the officials said.

Hu’s passport shows that he has visited various countries, including the US, New Zealand, Brazil and Fiji, and Hong Kong.