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‘Indian detained in China had no links to charity outfit’
Friends of the lone Indian among 20 foreign nationals detained in China over alleged terrorist activities said the Delhi businessman on a tourist visa had nothing to do with any charity outfit while Chinese authorities refused to divulge any information on the case on Thursday.
Friends of the lone Indian among 20 foreign nationals detained in China over alleged terrorist activities said the Delhi businessman on a tourist visa had nothing to do with any charity outfit while Chinese authorities refused to divulge any information on the case on Thursday.
Chinese state media reported the Indian, 11 Britons and eight South Africans — all members of the South African ‘Gift of Givers’ charity — were detained for watching promotional videos of a banned terror group in their hotel rooms.
Rajiv Mohan Kulshreshtha, 46, from east Delhi’s Vasundhra Enclave locality, runs a women’s apparel business and has six stores in prominent shopping malls across the city.
“He has nothing to do with ‘Gift of Givers’ as alleged. He went to China around two weeks back on a tourist visa on a trip organised by a tour operator,” said a person familiar with Kulshreshtha’s travel plans. “He was not on a 47-day trip as the charity group consisting of South Africans and Britons was.”
Kulshrestha’s family declined to comment for the story.
“He has been abroad many times but he went to China for the first time. It may be the tour operator who put him up with the charity group as they might be visiting the same places. The Indian embassy staff in Beijing is in touch with his family here,” said the person quoted above.
The Indian embassy was expected to make contact with Kulshrestha on Thursday but refused to share any information.
China’s ministry of foreign affairs told HT the embassies concerned were informed and consular visits arranged. It did not respond to questi-ons about the case and the charges pressed.
