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Srinagar: Security agencies in Kashmir have detained a 29-year-old Chinese national, Hu Congtai, for allegedly violating visa norms and moving across sensitive areas in Ladakh and Kashmir, raising serious national security concerns.
Hu is currently under questioning at Police Post Humhama in Budgam, with multiple intelligence and security agencies involved in the probe, officials said.
Hu, holding passport number EL7239333, arrived in New Delhi on November 19 on a tourist visa valid only for select Buddhist destinations, including Varanasi, Agra, New Delhi, Jaipur, Sarnath, Gaya, and Kushinagar.
Despite these restrictions, he reportedly flew to Leh on November 20 without registering at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), a mandatory protocol for foreign visitors in Ladakh, officials said.
His ability to blend in with locals allowed him to bypass initial checks.
From November 25, Hu stayed in Zanskar for three days, visiting monasteries and cultural sites. Police later instructed him to leave after confirming his visa did not cover the Union Territory.
On his onward journey, he stayed in Budgam before reaching Srinagar on December 1, where he lodged in an unregistered guesthouse.
Authorities raised alarm over his movements in Srinagar, where Hu visited several sensitive locations, including Shankaracharya Hills, Hazratbal Shrine, Mughal Gardens, and a Buddhist site at Harwan—near an area where a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative was killed last year.
Data extracted from his phone revealed internet searches on CRPF deployments, Article 370, and other sensitive military and political matters. He also reportedly obtained an Indian SIM card from the open market, which further heightened security concerns.
Officials noted that Hu’s visa did not permit travel to restricted, prohibited, or sensitive regions, including Ladakh. His actions are seen as a serious breach of immigration and national security regulations.
A senior police official confirmed that Hu is being questioned intensively, and investigations are ongoing to ascertain the purpose of his travel. Authorities indicated that he is likely to be deported once legal formalities are completed.
This incident comes amid heightened vigilance in Jammu and Kashmir over foreign nationals in sensitive regions, underlining the continued focus on safeguarding strategic and security-critical areas of the Union Territory.