The situation of the two Indian traders trapped in China since January this year, has gone from bad to worse, while the process of negotiation drags on between the Indian and Chinese governments.
Apart from facing financial and familial troubles, they have also been told that the Indian consulate in China can do nothing more for them, leaving them clueless as to their next step.
Shyamsunder Agrawal, a resident of Mumbai, along with Deepak Raheja from Hyderabad, were held captive by a group of Chinese traders for nearly a month before being rescued. Since then, the duo has been living in a hotel in Shanghai, waiting for the bureaucratic process to conclude so that they can go home.
“Last week, we were clearly told that nothing more could be done for us till the court case against us came to an end. We have no idea how long this will take, and don’t know what to do if the Chinese court’s verdict goes against us. The consulate’s stand is really disappointing,” Mr Agrawal told The Asian Age, speaking on the phone from China.
Things are no better back home for either of them. Mr Raheja’s aged father passed away on July 14; he tried securing permission to come to India for the funeral, but failed. Mr Agrawal’s wife Jyoti, who is a heart patient and had undergone a surgery a year-and-a-half ago, has started getting chest pains again, but has no money for treatment.
“I am seriously contemplating suicide, if that is the only thing that will bring my husband home,” Ms Agrawal said.
Mr Raheja and Mr Agrawal have also run out of money, and are literally living a hand-to-mouth existence. “We eat once in two days, and that too when one of the restaurants near our hotel take mercy on us and give us a few scraps to eat. We don’t know how long we can go on living here, till we are finally thrown out,” Mr Agrawal said.