A 29-year-old Chinese national was sent back to New Delhi last evening after being detained for unauthorised travel to Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, official sources said.
The man, identified as Hu Congtai, had arrived in New Delhi on November 19 on a tourist visa that permitted travel only to Varanasi, Agra, New Delhi, Jaipur, Sarnath, Gaya and Kushinagar. Despite this restriction, he travelled to Kashmir on December 1, prompting police and intelligence agencies to question him for visa violations, the sources said.
He was detained after being taken into custody from a low-budget homestay in Budgam. His mobile phone was seized for examination and returned before he was sent back from Kashmir. Officials said the Chinese national had allegedly obtained an Indian SIM card from the open market.
During questioning, Congtai is believed to have told investigators that he had also visited the union Territory of Ladakh as a tourist.
“In Srinagar, he visited the ancient Buddhist site at Harwan, Shankaracharya Hills, Hazratbal shrine and the Mughal Gardens,” an official said.
“After preliminary investigation, he was sent back from Srinagar to Delhi last evening,” he added.
In recent months, Jammu and Kashmir Police, along with other security agencies, are maintained a tight vigil on the activities of foreign visitors.
In past few weeks, police have registered multiple cases in Srinagar, Ganderbal and Anantnag districts against several hotel owners for violating the Immigration and Foreigners Act by failing to report the stay of foreign guests as required under law.
