Local traders in the eastern Chinese business city of Yiwu attacked an Indian diplomat who tried to secure the release of two Indian employees held captive by the local traders on Dec 31.

Euro Global Trading, a commodities’ trading firm owned by a Pakistani national,
defaulted in payment of trading dues to the local traders as the owner fled few days ago. Local traders then detained the two Indian employees of the company and held them hostage for the last two weeks saying they would be released only after payment of their dues.

S Balachandran, a senior diplomat at the Indian Consulate in Shanghai, went to the local court with a lawyer and negotiated with the judge for more than five hours for their release.  Convinced with the stance of the Indian diplomat, the court ordered the local traders to free the two Indian employees.

However, fearing attack by the local traders and looking for a safe passage from the place, the two Indians clung on to Balachandran who tried to take them out but the traders attacked them and the diplomat too.

Balachandran, 46, a diabetic patient, fainted in the attack and some Indian traders, who were also present there, took him to a local hospital immediately. Local police and the court judge were mute witnesses to the incident. Senior officials of the town later apologized to Balachandran who was improving after treatment in the hospital.

The two Indians, Deepak Raheja and Shyamsunder Agrawal are from Mumbai and said they were helpless as the owner of the company had fled.

Nearly 120 Indian traders have been engaged in the commodities trading in the city and last year, Indian merchants bought over USD 15 billion worth of goods from the market. (JUBS)