Beijing/New Delhi, January 03 : Furious Chinese traders who have held two Indian businessmen Deepak Raheja and Shyamsundar Agrawal to collect their dues running into millions of yuan,forced both of them to eat human excreta and drink urine, the businessmen told the Indian diplomat who had gone to Yiwu city near Shanghai to intervene.
The Times of India reported that the two businessmen working for a Yemeni firm Euro Global Trading were taken hostages by the Chinese traders, after the firm failed to up dues amounting to several million yuans.
Both the businessmen come from Mumbai but Agrawal’s family is based in Dubai, reports HT.
The firm’s owner, believed to be a Yemeni or a Pakistani national, has fled the country, the businessmen said.
Agrawal and raheja were kidnapped and tortured by Chinese traders on Friday and forced to eat human excreta and drink urine.
Agrawal told Times of India: “Please save us. We are afraid of leaving the police station because we might be killed”.
After their family members frantically rang up the Indian consulate in Shanghai, diplomat S. Balachandran was sent to intervene.
On Saturday while Balachandran was closeted for nearly six hours in prolonged talks with the Chinese traders and the court officials to free Agrawal and Raheja.
Balachandran, a diabetic, wanted food and medicines during the negotiations, but was denied.
When he emerged from the room, he saw the frantic Indian businessmen and the angry Chinese traders. He collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.
Balchandran was moved to Shanghai on Jan 1 and hospitalized where he is reported to be out of danger.
“We have been tortured for the last two weeks by the Chinese traders. We have been beaten, made to do terrible things. Even the medical test done on court orders shows my mind has been affected by the torture,” Raheja told TOI.
Yiwu has a thriving wholesale commodities market. More than 100 Indian traders live there, but many more visit the city for business.
——Agencies