A Chinese national has been detained by the border security force, close to the India-Bangladesh border, on Thursday over suspicious activities, officials said.

India's Border Security Force (BSF) personnel intercepted the man in West Bengal's Malda district, bordering Bangladesh.

The officials said the man was trying to cross the border illegally and when the troops asked him to stop he tried to escape. He was then chased and arrested and taken to a border outpost at Mohadipur for questioning.

Officials said the 36-year-old Chinese man is Han Junwe, a resident of Hubei province in China, it was revealed during interrogation, said BSF South Bengal.

He first came to Dhaka on a business visa on June 2 and lived with a friend. He then moved to the border district of Chapainawabganj and tried to cross the border to enter Indian Territory, it said.

He has told the officials that he owns a hotel in Gurgaon which employs many Indians. His business partner is Sun Jiang, who sent him numbers of cellphone SIM cards in India, the report informed.

Few days ago, (Anti-Terrorism Squad) ATS arrested his partner and also charged him and his wife. He could not get an Indian visa because of this reason.

He then arranged for a Bangladeshi visa and tried to enter India from there.

BSF recovered a Chinese passport with a Bangladeshi visa, 2 cellphones, a laptop, an Indian SIM card, a Bangladesh SIM card, and two Chinese SIM cards from his possession apart from other items.

Han Junwe is a wanted criminal, the BSF South Bengal Frontier said, adding that all intelligence agencies are working together in the case.

"He was intercepted at 7 am. We brought him to Kaliachak post and informed other agencies. He is being questioned by them," a senior officer told NDTV on the conditions of anonymity.

BSF officials said the man does not know English and a security official knowing Mandarin had to be called to communicate with him.(SAM)