Justin Joseph
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'Innocent' Indian exec held illegally in China
MUMBAI: From Kalachowkie to China, it has been a surreal journey for Jayesh Jain, a 25-year-old whose recent business visit as an employee of a Mumbai firm to the Red republic landed him in "illegal custody'' of a Chinese businesswoman who claimed his 'company' owed her 2 million RMB (popularly called yuan).
The Indian consulate in Shanghai says he had been found in illegal custody but was free since last Thursday. But the family says he is still not back and neither is he free. As their youngest son, his parents say they can now only "pray'' that the consulate-general of India in China does something soon to "rescue'' their son and bring him home safe.
In a real-life drama that has all the trappings of a Bollywood masala flick, Jain's travails however belie a deeper concern over events that may greet some in the traders' paradise.
Jain, a BCom graduate from Jai Hind College, works for Pooja Glass Beads, a small proprietorship firm based in Mumbai's Zaveri Bazaar that imports beads and stones from China for sale in India. He is in the firm's marketing and sales division and on March 12 made his third trip in ten months to Yiwu, a tiny urban centre three hours away from Shanghai and described on its website as the 'supermarket of the world for small commodities' in Zhejiang province. He had gone to purchase beads and artificial stones but had no inkling of what lay in store.
Overnight, on March 13, he found himself forcibly taken by 10-15 people from the market place to an undisclosed location. His passport was taken away and he was accused by Lisa, a Chinese woman who runs a company called HR International, of being a part of an Indian firm that owed her and several Chinese traders 2 million RMB. That was two Saturdays ago.
On March 18, Praveen Jain, brother of Manoj Jain, the owner of Pooja Glass Beads, went to rescue Jayesh. On landing in Shanghai, he contacted Kanti Raman, a vice-consul at the Indian consulate. They lodged a police complaint against Yiwu Traders for illegally detaining Jayesh. They had him released.
S Balachandran, an India consulate official in the Shanghai office, wrote to Jayesh's father, Prakash Jain, on March 19 informing that after "persistent efforts made by the consulate and the vice consul who was in Yiwu since Thursday, the local police has been able to find Jayesh and one Lisa who was holding him illegally''. He confirmed that Jayesh was in the police station and was "contactable on his mobile''.
But Manish Jain, brother-in-law of Jayesh, immediately wrote to the consulate that there was "no positive development in Yiwu''. He said once the vice-consul left, the Chinese traders took not just Jayesh but Praveen too to an "undisclosed hotel''. On Monday, he said Jayesh, in fact, has now been made to sign fresh documents as a "confession'' that he now owed those traders 6.5 million RMB.
When contacted by TOI in China, Balachandran denied that Jayesh was still in illegal custody. According to him Jayesh was "safe and sound'' and "in a hotel where he can be contacted on his mobile.
"We had sent the police to rescue him and he is out. But Jayesh knows Lisa, she has been his interpretor and he has traded with her in the past,'' he said, adding, "They are friends.'' He also said, "There are 3,000 Indians in Yiwu, there is no problem there.''
But advocate Hitesh Jain in Mumbai who is advising Jayesh's family is not satisfied. He wrote to Balachandran after speaking with him on Monday, requesting him to depute a consular staffer to Yiwu to bring back Jayesh who was "still absolutely under the custody of Chinese traders and is singing statements under coercion''. He also requested the consulate to issue Jayesh a duplicate passport since the local Chinese traders had taken away the original, making his return impossible.
Jayesh had booked his return trip for March 18 on China Eastern Airlines, but now his family finds itself trapped as it wakes up each morning in their Kala Chowkie flat awaiting his release and return.
Manish Jain alleged that Lisa has filed a "false'' case against Jayesh on the mistaken presumption that he is a partner of another another Indian impex firm, which allegedly owes her money for the goods imported from Chinese traders, including her. Manish did admit that when he went to China, Jayesh informed this local firm of his trip and that he would meet Lisa who acted as his interpretor and helped him buy the Chinese products on credit. "But this does not mean that Jayesh is in any way connected with the other company.'' But the Chinese traders say that the Indian firms owe them money.
Advocate Hitesh Jain said the government must interevene as it is the question of a citizen's liberty and shows that "Indian traders are not safe''. "On the civil dispute we are not seeking any intervention as that can be fought separately legally.''
'Innocent' Indian exec held illegally in China - India - The Times of India
MUMBAI: From Kalachowkie to China, it has been a surreal journey for Jayesh Jain, a 25-year-old whose recent business visit as an employee of a Mumbai firm to the Red republic landed him in "illegal custody'' of a Chinese businesswoman who claimed his 'company' owed her 2 million RMB (popularly called yuan).
The Indian consulate in Shanghai says he had been found in illegal custody but was free since last Thursday. But the family says he is still not back and neither is he free. As their youngest son, his parents say they can now only "pray'' that the consulate-general of India in China does something soon to "rescue'' their son and bring him home safe.
In a real-life drama that has all the trappings of a Bollywood masala flick, Jain's travails however belie a deeper concern over events that may greet some in the traders' paradise.
Jain, a BCom graduate from Jai Hind College, works for Pooja Glass Beads, a small proprietorship firm based in Mumbai's Zaveri Bazaar that imports beads and stones from China for sale in India. He is in the firm's marketing and sales division and on March 12 made his third trip in ten months to Yiwu, a tiny urban centre three hours away from Shanghai and described on its website as the 'supermarket of the world for small commodities' in Zhejiang province. He had gone to purchase beads and artificial stones but had no inkling of what lay in store.
Overnight, on March 13, he found himself forcibly taken by 10-15 people from the market place to an undisclosed location. His passport was taken away and he was accused by Lisa, a Chinese woman who runs a company called HR International, of being a part of an Indian firm that owed her and several Chinese traders 2 million RMB. That was two Saturdays ago.
On March 18, Praveen Jain, brother of Manoj Jain, the owner of Pooja Glass Beads, went to rescue Jayesh. On landing in Shanghai, he contacted Kanti Raman, a vice-consul at the Indian consulate. They lodged a police complaint against Yiwu Traders for illegally detaining Jayesh. They had him released.
S Balachandran, an India consulate official in the Shanghai office, wrote to Jayesh's father, Prakash Jain, on March 19 informing that after "persistent efforts made by the consulate and the vice consul who was in Yiwu since Thursday, the local police has been able to find Jayesh and one Lisa who was holding him illegally''. He confirmed that Jayesh was in the police station and was "contactable on his mobile''.
But Manish Jain, brother-in-law of Jayesh, immediately wrote to the consulate that there was "no positive development in Yiwu''. He said once the vice-consul left, the Chinese traders took not just Jayesh but Praveen too to an "undisclosed hotel''. On Monday, he said Jayesh, in fact, has now been made to sign fresh documents as a "confession'' that he now owed those traders 6.5 million RMB.
When contacted by TOI in China, Balachandran denied that Jayesh was still in illegal custody. According to him Jayesh was "safe and sound'' and "in a hotel where he can be contacted on his mobile.
"We had sent the police to rescue him and he is out. But Jayesh knows Lisa, she has been his interpretor and he has traded with her in the past,'' he said, adding, "They are friends.'' He also said, "There are 3,000 Indians in Yiwu, there is no problem there.''
But advocate Hitesh Jain in Mumbai who is advising Jayesh's family is not satisfied. He wrote to Balachandran after speaking with him on Monday, requesting him to depute a consular staffer to Yiwu to bring back Jayesh who was "still absolutely under the custody of Chinese traders and is singing statements under coercion''. He also requested the consulate to issue Jayesh a duplicate passport since the local Chinese traders had taken away the original, making his return impossible.
Jayesh had booked his return trip for March 18 on China Eastern Airlines, but now his family finds itself trapped as it wakes up each morning in their Kala Chowkie flat awaiting his release and return.
Manish Jain alleged that Lisa has filed a "false'' case against Jayesh on the mistaken presumption that he is a partner of another another Indian impex firm, which allegedly owes her money for the goods imported from Chinese traders, including her. Manish did admit that when he went to China, Jayesh informed this local firm of his trip and that he would meet Lisa who acted as his interpretor and helped him buy the Chinese products on credit. "But this does not mean that Jayesh is in any way connected with the other company.'' But the Chinese traders say that the Indian firms owe them money.
Advocate Hitesh Jain said the government must interevene as it is the question of a citizen's liberty and shows that "Indian traders are not safe''. "On the civil dispute we are not seeking any intervention as that can be fought separately legally.''
'Innocent' Indian exec held illegally in China - India - The Times of India
