NEW DELHI: Arunachal Pradesh government officials became worried after social media posts emerged about the alleged abduction of five local youths by China's Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) troops along the McMahon Line in Upper Subansiri district on Friday.

Prakash Ringling, brother of one of the five youths Prasad Ringling, posted on Facebook on Friday that PLA troops abducted five people in Nacho Circle from a place called Sera-7, situated close to the China border.

Prakash sought help from the administration and the Indian Army to bring them back immediately. Sources said that the state police got in touch with the Army to verify the information.

In March this year, the PLA had detained Togley Singkam, a local youth who had reportedly ventured into "Chinese territory". The matter was taken up by the Indian Army and Singkam was released after 19 days. Similar incidents have happened in the past but the climate of tensions between India and Chinese troops in Ladakh has increased worries about what this alleged abduction means for the region.

Kanto Danggen, Deputy Commissioner of Upper Subansiri district, spoke to DH over the phone from the district headquarters in Daporijo. Danggen said that he had heard about the alleged incident from social media posts but that there had been no official complaints so far from family members of the missing people.

"I don't deny it as of now but no one has come to me yet with a complaint about it," he said. "According to social media posts, the incident happened in a place where there is no road connectivity and it takes about 10-12 days of foot march from Nacho to reach there. Even we don't go to those areas as there is very less human habitation there. I was there in Nacho yesterday for an official function but nobody told me about it. I came to know about the incident from social media after after I came back to Daporijo in the evening."

Pasighat West Assembly constituency Congress MLA Ninong Ering, in a 5.08 am tweet on Saturday, also said that five youths had reportedly been abducted. He tweeted, "Shocking news: Five people from Upper Subansiri district of our state Arunachal Pradesh have reportedly been ‘abducted’ by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA)."