Union law minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said that Chinese Army has handed over the youth from Arunachal Pradesh who had gone missing on January 18.

“Due procedures are being followed including the medical examination,” the minister said.

On January 19, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Tapir Gao had claimed that the Chinese Army had abducted 17-year-old Miram Taron from Indian territory. Gao, who represents Arunachal East in the Lok Sabha, had said that Taron had been abducted from Upper Siang district of the state on January 18. Notably, the Union law minister has described Taron as 19-year old, while Gao had said he was 17.

On January 23, the Chinese Army had said that it has found a missing boy from Arunachal Pradesh. However, it was not confirmed then if the boy was Taron.

Rijiju had said on Wednesday that the Chinese Army has “responded positively indicating” that the youth who went missing will be handed over to India.

Rijiju had said on Twitter that on the hotline exchange, the People’s Liberation Army suggested a location for the handover, while the date and time will be conveyed soon. He said the Army had attributed “bad weather conditions” for the delay.

The central government had not given an official response on Gao’s claims but unidentified officials in the defence forces had told PTI that the Indian Army asked the People’s Liberation Army for assistance to locate the missing boy and return him as per established protocol.

On Wednesday, Rijiju confirmed that the Army had sought assistance from the People’s Liberation Army on January 19. He added that a day later, the People’s Liberation Army said they had found a boy on their side and sought further details to establish his identity.