The military troops of India has alerted China regarding an alleged abduction of five civilians by the People's Liberation Army near the Himalayan border.
According to India Minister of State for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, the army has sent  a "hotline message" to its counterparts in China over media reports that five civilians hunting near the Himalayan border were allegedly detained by Chinese military.
Rijiju is also a member of parliament for the north eastern border state of Arunachal Pradesh.
Missing men at the border
Keni Bagra, superintendent of police for Upper Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh, claimed that five men were reported missing with talks within the local community that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) "may have abducted or kidnapped them."
However. Bagra noted that no formal complaint or report has been filed by the missing individuals' relatives and that there were little "concrete details" available.
The police superintendent added: "Since that incident occurred near the LAC, it is beyond the reach of district administration or the police. The local sources (family and friends) have made that allegation -- the relatives said that most probably the PLA army has taken them away. I have sent the officer in-charge to interact with the relatives. They are reluctant to talk about this."
Bagra also said that there is a possibility that the civilians may have accidentally wandered across the border. Arunachal Pradesh is home to a number of minority groups, many of whom reside near the disputed border in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that he was "not aware" of any detentions on the border during a regular press briefing on Monday.
Zhao explained: "China's position on the east section of the China-India boundary ... is consistent and clear. We have never recognized the so-called Arunachal Pradesh, illegally established on Chinese territory."
India-China conflict intensifying
The alleged abduction occurred following a meeting between India's defense minister Rajnath Singh and his counterpart, General Wei Fenghe, in Moscow during a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in Russia.
Tensions between the two nations have been on the rise again as de-escalation efforts appear to be stagnating after a violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops at the border in June.
At least 20 people died in the encounter between Indian patrol and Chinese forces on a narrow ridge. During the confrontation, an Indian commanding officer was pushed and fell into the river gorge.
As a result, hundreds of troops from both sides were called in and inflicted damage on each other using clubs and stones. Several of those involved fell to their deaths.
While China refused to confirm the number of casualties from its side, the Indian Army said three of their soldiers were killed during the clash while another 17 died from injuries later.
China accused India of crossing the border twice and "provoking and attacking Chinese personnel".
In late June, India announced that it would ban 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, Weibo and WeChat, arguing that the platforms threatened the "sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state and public order."
In response to the ban, Zhao said: "The Chinese government always asks Chinese businesses to abide by international rules and local laws and regulations in their business cooperation’s with foreign countries."
However, he argued that the "Indian government has responsibility to uphold the legitimate rights of international investors, including Chinese ones."
