Concerns About People Entering Illegally At The Borders Grow As Chinese Nationals Are Discovered Living In India

Central intelligence officials are puzzled by the discovery of roughly 30 Chinese nationals living illegally within a few kilometres from the national capital.

There have been other instances of Chinese nationals living illegally in different parts of India, primarily in metropolitan cities, and particularly after the pandemic, according to sources, even though authorities have not yet discovered anything concrete regarding the possibility of espionage as per an intelligence report distributed to other forces and agencies. The agencies think that a lot of these individuals hold bogus Indian identity cards.

Central intelligence officials are puzzled by the discovery of roughly 30 Chinese nationals living illegally within a few kilometres from the national capital.

There have been other instances of Chinese nationals living illegally in different parts of India, primarily in metropolitan cities, and particularly after the pandemic, according to sources, even though authorities have not yet discovered anything concrete regarding the possibility of espionage as per an intelligence report distributed to other forces and agencies. The agencies think that a lot of these individuals hold bogus Indian identity cards.

Concerns were increased when Chinese people who were living illegally in India were able to get official documents like the Aadhaar and Indian passports based on false identities, as was the situation in Noida.

A senior government source claims that representatives of the union home ministry have brought up the issue of Chinese people staying in Indian cities easily and illegally crossing borders. Sources claimed that the issue had already been covered in a high-level discussion with senior authorities.

Following that, concerned units received numerous tips from central intelligence agencies regarding Chinese nationals living illegally in India. But according to sources, finding these persons is difficult.

“There may be more instances where Chinese nationals crossed into Indian territory from the borders of neighbouring nations and stayed. Although it is difficult to locate them, agencies are working with states to do so. One such instance has recently been discovered by SSB, according to a senior government official.

THE TRIGGER

After border-guarding organisation Sashtra Seema Bal (SSB) detained two Chinese nationals who were attempting to flee after having been staying in Noida illegally at the India-Nepal border, Noida police launched a special operation that resulted in the arrest of close to 30 such Chinese citizens.

Yung Hai Lung and Lo Lung were captured on June 11 by the force. Their residence in Noida was discovered during questioning after they were later turned over to the Bihar police.

NOIDA NOT THE ONLY PLACE

Wang Yanam, a Chinese national, was detained in March by Gurugram police. Even after his visa ran out, he continued to reside there. Similar to this, this month the Himachal Pradesh police detained a female Chinese national who had been living in India for the previous two years without a valid passport or visa. She was later sentenced to 14 days in judicial custody.

CHALLENGES AND COORDINATION ISSUES

A top officer with the Bureau of Immigration claims that the agency frequently informs states about foreigners, particularly Chinese nationals, who are overstaying their welcome in India. “Few states actually take action. Action was taken in the most recent cases of Noida after two Chinese people were detained in Bihar.

The IB occasionally offers suggestions in this area, but nations must move quickly, However, according to police officials, central agencies only give basic information and don’t send any specific inputs, making it difficult for them to track down foreigners whose addresses have changed. “We and central agencies both keep records of foreign nationals living in states and districts.

It gets more difficult for us to locate individuals if they relocate or alter their addresses. According to a senior official of the Uttar Pradesh police, district police are also in charge of maintaining peace and order, which calls for constant observation.

Another problem is that, if there are more incidents of Chinese nationals entering India through a porous border, it will be very difficult for law enforcement to find them until they are apprehended.

While we do check anyone leaving for Nepal or entering India, it is impossible to stop everyone when the border is not totally guarded. We undertake visitor profiling, but there are loopholes, and the force headquarters has addressed that, according to a senior SSB official.

VISA NUMBERS

The ministry of external affairs reports that as of December 2, 2021, 20,607 foreign nationals were residing in India on work visas and that between January 1, 2020, and November 30, 2021, 41,51,758 foreign nationals left the country. There were 2,953 Chinese nationals who received student visas between 2016 and 2021. Likewise, 1,783 Chinese nationals have been granted work permits till December 2021. Additionally, data reveals that between 2019 and 2021, the ministry’s issuance of visas decreased significantly.

According to government statistics, there were 3,93,431 foreigners who overstayed their visas overall between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2021, including Chinese nationals.

ACTION TAKEN BY CENTRE

The union home ministry informed Parliament on Tuesday that between 2019 and 2021, a total of 81 Chinese nationals received “leave India” warnings and 117 more were expelled for breaking visa requirements and other unlawful activities. Nityanand Rai, the Union’s state minister for home, added that 726 Chinese people had been put on a “adverse list” for visa violations and other criminal activity.

The minister claimed that the government keeps track of such foreigners who enter India with legitimate travel documents, including Chinese nationals.