Patna: In a development that has stirred security concerns, two Chinese nationals were arrested at the Jatahi-Pipraun border crossing in Bihar’s Madhubani district for entering Indian territory without authorization and engaging in behavior deemed suspicious by border authorities. The arrests were made on Wednesday in a joint operation conducted by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Bihar Police.
The individuals have been identified as Wu Hailong (38), a resident of Dalian in China’s Liaoning province, and Sheng Junyong (30) from Xiuning County, Anhui province. Both were intercepted while allegedly clicking photographs near the Indo-Nepal border — an area where heightened surveillance is maintained due to security sensitivities.
According to reports, the duo was spotted taking pictures of the no-man’s-land region that separates Indian and Nepali territory, raising suspicions among security personnel. When questioned, the two men failed to present valid Indian visas or any authorization permitting them to cross into Indian soil. Their entry was thus declared illegal under the Foreigners Act, 1946, and they were immediately taken into custody.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Yogendra Kumar, who is overseeing the investigation, confirmed that the Chinese nationals had been using their mobile phones to take photographs of restricted areas near the border. While no explicit anti-India content was found in their devices at the time of arrest, investigators did find a number of text exchanges in Mandarin that are now undergoing detailed forensic and linguistic analysis to determine their relevance and context.
SP Kumar further clarified that while initial allegations suggested that the men may have been gathering intelligence or data, there is as yet no definitive evidence to support this claim. "The nature of their activities and the material found on their devices require deeper scrutiny, and central intelligence agencies may be called in if necessary," he said.
The arrested individuals are currently in judicial custody, and the local authorities have initiated the process of verifying the authenticity of their travel documents. Their passports and possible Nepalese immigration records are also under examination, as the duo is believed to have entered India via Nepal, which shares an open border with India.
Officials have noted that this is not the first time Chinese nationals have been found loitering in sensitive border areas without valid papers. Incidents like these have prompted Indian authorities to remain vigilant, particularly in border states such as Bihar and Uttarakhand where porous frontiers make surveillance challenging.
Meanwhile, sources in the Home Department indicated that the Ministry of External Affairs and central intelligence agencies have been informed, and diplomatic channels may be engaged depending on the outcome of the investigation. The Chinese embassy has not yet issued an official response to the incident.
This arrest comes at a time of continuing tension and mistrust between India and China, particularly in the context of border issues and rising concerns over transnational surveillance and data breaches. Indian authorities are taking the incident seriously and have assured that due process will be followed, with a focus on national security and regional stability.