Two Indians released from captivity undergo medical check-ups

Two Indians, who were released from illegal detention of local traders in the eastern Chinese city of Yiwu and brought to Shanghai, have undergone health check-ups after suffering "multiple injuries" and "trauma" in captivity.

"We suffered multiple injuries besides trauma during our detention in Yiwu by the local traders and had check-ups done for multiple injuries," Deepak Raheja, one of the two men, told PTI over phone today.

The medical check-ups were arranged by the Indian Consulate in Shanghai.

Raheja and the other Indian businessman Shyamsunder Agrawal were currently put up in an undisclosed hotel at Shanghai by the Indian Consulate after they were released from Yiwu yesterday. It was not known how long they could stay there.

Both of them had a lengthy meeting with the consulate officials today to discuss their case and future. They had been told to confine themselves to the hotel in the interest of their safety, Raheja said.

"We are safe for the time being but our future is uncertain," he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told a media briefing here today that the two had the freedom to move about even when they were put up in a hotel at Yiwu.

"China is a country under rule of rule. Attaching great importance to friendly relations between China and India, China always safeguards the lawful rights of all foreigners, including the Indian citizens in China," Hong said replying to a question about their release.

They are free to move in China but cannot travel out of the country as their passports have been impounded by the local court in Yiwu.

The two say they were employees of a company called Euro Global Trading, which bought supplies worth millions of yuan from Chinese traders based in Yiwu, the world's largest commodities trading hub.

They say they got into trouble after the owner of the company Maheer Hussain Bazara, a Yemenese national, vanished along with an Indian partner Feroze Khan. Both say they have no idea where they are.

Raheja, who was a resident of Dubai, said Bazara and Khan had vanished on December 14 without any trace.

"There was no hint. Our salaries were coming in time. We have no idea until the traders raided our office on the night of December 14 and took us into custody," he said.

"They let off two Chinese staff and held us hostage and tortured and ill-treated," according to Raheja. Apparently Bazara was seen on December 14 and made some payments.

Together, the two Indians have been asked to pay 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) owed by the company.

After this, they paid considerable amount of money mobilised from their families in India, Raheja claimed.

"The money is so much we cannot mobilise all of it."