In a significant development highlighting ongoing border vigilance, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) on Monday apprehended a Chinese national in possession of fake documents at the Panitanki Trade and Transit Bridge along the Indo-Nepal border.
According to senior officials of the 41st Battalion, ‘C’ Company, the individual was intercepted around 3.50 p.m. during routine checking by the border interaction team. His suspicious behaviour prompted a thorough search, leading to the recovery of two Swiss passports—bearing the names Khamrichang Tsetan Gurme and Sengtsang Karma Jimmy—and a forged Nepali citizenship card.
Given the sensitivity of the case, a joint interrogation was conducted in the presence of relevant security and intelligence agencies. After preliminary questioning and a medical examination, the accused was handed over to Kharibari police station in Darjeeling late Monday evening for further legal proceedings, the SSB said in a late-night press release.
Kharibari Police produced him before the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Court today and initiated a deeper investigation to ascertain his motive for entering India.
The SSB sources said several foreign nationals attempting to illegally enter India through the Panitanki-Kakarvitta corridor have been detained in recent years, underlining the strategic significance of the Indo-Nepal border near Siliguri.