Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Sep 11: The five Arunachalees from Upper Subansiri district who had been picked up by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are expected to return home on Saturday.
According to the Indian Army, the five youngsters will be handed over to Indian authorities in Damai, near Kibithu, in Anjaw district.
The Kibithu-Damai area is a place where Indian and Chinese armies hold border personnel meetings.
The Indian Army tweeted that the “five hunters of Upper Subansiri who crossed over on Line of Actual Control (LAC) on 2 Sept will finally return on 12 Sept. PLA will hand them over to India in Damai, China at 0930 hours.”
The youths who are in Chinese custody have been identified as Tajit Singkam, Taru Diri, Tatu Ebiya, Tanu Bakar and Prasat Ringling.
Speaking to this daily, the families of the youths had earlier said that their wards had gone for hunting in the jungle in Nacho area on 19 August along with two other friends, and thereafter had gone missing.
The two friends who returned from the jungle informed the relatives on 4 September about the missing youths. All five were last seen in a mountain locally known as Tungdara Modi on 1 September, which is very close to the LAC.
