A Chinese woman was released from jail in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal Friday after serving a two-year sentence for having violated visa regulations, official sources said.
Jing Ping Ling, a 47-year-old Chinese woman, was arrested in July 2010 by the police from a bus in Kharibari in Darjeeling district in north Bengal.
Ling was on her way from Nepal via Darjeeling to Sikkim, a north-east Indian state on the foothills of the Himalayas bordering China.
The police was conducting a routine search when they found that Ling had over stayed in India even after her visa had expired.
The police even charged her with espionage and she was remanded to 14-days jail custody in Siliguri town in Darjeeling district.
Ling knew only Mandarin and since none could understand her language she became a recluse.
Meanwhile, a local court convicted her to two years in prison on charges of violating immigration law.
A human rights activist came to know of her plight and helped her to move to Presidency Jail in this city and later shifted to Alipore Central Jail for Women.
The Chinese consulate here came to know of her plight and contacted her. She hails from Sichwan province in China. Being divorced, she has no relations except a sister.The Chinese consulate contacted India’s external affairs ministry for her repatriation and ultimately she was released from prison. She has boarded the flight to Kunming where she will be received by her sister.
Xinhua