The 5 youths, who had gone missing from the border area of Arunachal Pradesh since September 4, have been found by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

This was on Tuesday informed by Union sports minister Kiren Rijiju.

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Rijiju, who took to Twitter for sharing the information, said: “China’s PLA has responded to the hotline message sent by Indian Army.”

“They have confirmed that the missing youths from Arunachal Pradesh have been found by their side,” Union minister Rijiju, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh said.

The minister said: “Further modalities to handover the persons to our authority is being worked out.”

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Union minister Rijiu on Sunday said the Indian Army had sent a hotline message to the PLA in the reported abduction case.

Also read: Abduction of 5 Arunachal youths: Indian Army sends hotline message to PLA, says Kiren Rijiju

“The Indian Army has already sent hotline message to the counterpart PLA establishment at the border point in Arunachal Pradesh. The response is awaited,” Rijiju had tweeted on Sunday.

The youths from Arunachal Pradesh have been identified as Toch Singkam, Prasat Ringling, Dongtu Ebiya, Tanu Baker and Ngaru Diri.

Amid escalating border tensions with India, China on Monday said it never recognized Arunachal Pradesh and instead the state was the country’s South Tibet region.

China has never recognised the “so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’, which is China’s south Tibet region”, Global Times, a Chinese state-run media house, quoted Zhao Lijian, the neighbouring country’s foreign ministry spokesperson as saying.

Also read: We never recognised Arunachal says China; we don’t need validation replies AAPSU

Zhao Lijian’s statement came in response to a question about the 5 missing Arunachal youths, who were allegedly abducted by PLA.

The Chinese spokesperson also clarified that they had no details to share in regards to the release of the missing people.