One of the two stranded Indian traders, who were under a travel ban pending a trial over allegations of non-payment of dues to Chinese businessmen, has been granted permission for a month to visit his family in India following the death of his father.
Indian officials in Beijing said Deepak Raheja has been granted temporary permission by the Chinese government to go home for a month to be with his family after his father's death in July.
Raheja told PTI that he planned to travel to his home town Hyderabad shortly.
However, the permission is only for a month, after which he has to return to face the legal proceedings.
The Chinese government declined to grant permission to Raheja's colleague, Shyam Sunder Agrawal, who wanted to visit his ailing wife in Mumbai.
Agrawal has to wait for Raheja's return at Shanghai, where they were put up after their release from illegal custody of the local traders in Yiwu in January.
According to Raheja, they were accused of owing 2.4 million RMB ($376,684), by 16 Chinese suppliers at Yiwu. They have paid about nine lakh RMB ($141,252) and statedfthat they have no more resources to pay the rest.
The Indian embassy and consulate in Shanghai had taken up their case and financially helped them stay in the city and fight the legal battle.
The Indian government has also asked the Chinese government to amicably resolve the issue so that the two could return home.
The two claim that they were working for a company run by a Yemanese national, who fled the country, leaving them to face the consequences.
Raheja said he and Agrawal met the Chinese traders, whom they owed money to, and proposed to work for them in order to repay the money.
"We received a mixed response but there is no definite word," Raheja said.
