Chinese intruder sent to six-day police custody

Malda: A local court on Saturday remanded Chinese national Han Junwe in police custody for six days. Han, a native of Hubei province in central China, was arrested by the BSF on Thursday for illegal entry through the India-Bangladesh border and booked by police on Friday under the Foreigners Act.
Sources said police had pleaded for a seven-day custody, but the court granted a day less.“The Chinese national will be in police custody for six days. He will be produced in court again on June 18,” said assistant public prosecutor Mehtab Alam.
After the BSF handed over the intruder to Kaliachak police, he was grilled by various security agencies — including the NIA and ATS — in Malda’s Mahadipur. According to investigators, Han admitted that he entered India six times and ran a hotel on lease in Gurgaon for a year and a half with an Indian ally.
Officers said Han had smuggled around 1,300 Indian SIM cards into China with the intention to commit financial fraud. One of his Chinese business partners, Sun Jiang, was arrested by ATS Lucknow. Following Sun’s interrogation, a case was registered against Han and he was denied Indian visa. His wife and he had left the country earlier this year.
Han’s lawyer Gyanendra Dewan said: “My client had a valid passport and visa for Bangladesh. Indian agencies can cross-check with the government there. While touring Bangladesh, he mistakenly entered Indian territory by mistake, as there is no fencing or demarcation. Let us wait for police investigations.”
Malda SP Alok Rajoria said: “We have taken him (Han) into custody. We may seek the help of other agencies if needed.” Rajoria did not rule out the possibility of ATS seeking Han’s custody in the future.