2 Chinese nationals detained in Khagrachhari

Police have taken two Chinese nationals into custody from a residential building in Ramgarh upazila of Khagrachhari.

They were detained from a residential building in the municipal market area of the upazila on Thursday evening.

As of this evening, Friday, they remain in police custody.

The two men are Jiang Chengthong, 26, and Teng Tonggu, 31.

Police also seized various electronic devices including mobile phones and laptops at the time of their detention.

Police and local residents said the two arrived in Ramgarh upazila on Wednesday through Md Rokon Uddin, a foreman of an aluminium company based at Kumira of Sitakunda in Chattogram.

They rented a flat for Tk 30,000 in advance without providing any documentation. They introduced themselves to the landlord as businessmen and claimed they had come to Khagrachhari to engage in the import and export of electronic goods.

Police said the men arrived in Bangladesh around one and a half months ago. Initially, they were staying in the Khulshi area of Chattogram before travelling to Khagrachhari.

They told the police they had come to the district for business purposes, having heard that the Ramgarh land port was soon to become operational.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Ramgarh police station officer-in-charge, Md Maeen Uddin, said the police, based on information provided by local residents, had taken the two Chinese nationals into custody for questioning.

Mentioning that under a circular issued by the home ministry, foreign nationals require prior permission to enter the Chittagong Hill Tracts area, he said, neither of the detainees had obtained such permission.

Police have sought assistance from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to examine the devices seized from them, the OC added.