The Indian Army has sought the assistance of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) to locate a missing local teenager on their side and return him as per established protocol, sources in the defence establishment told PTI news agency on Thursday. Arunachal Pradesh's MP Tapir Gao said yesterday that PLA had "abducted" a 17-year-old boy, Miram Taron, from inside the Indian territory in the state's Upper Siang district.

When the Indian Army received the information about Taron, it immediately contacted the PLA through an established mechanism of hotline informing that an individual, who was collecting herbs and hunting, had lost his way and cannot be found. Assistance from PLA has been sought to locate the individual on their side and return him as per established protocol, PTI said quoting defence ministry sources. 

Gao said yesterday that the incident took place near the place where Tsangpo river enters India in Arunachal Pradesh. Tsangpo is called Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and Brahmaputra in Assam.

In September 2020, the PLA had abducted five youths from Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Subansiri district and released them after about a week. 

The latest incident - as part of continuing border frictions between the two sides - came at a time when the Indian Army continues to be engaged in a stand-off with PLA in eastern Ladakh since April 2020.

India shares a 3,400 km-long Line of Actual Control with China from Ladakh in the north to Arunachal Pradesh in the east.

(SAM)