The government is following "with utmost attention" the case of detained 28-year-old Italian Federico Negri, who faces jail for entering India illegally from Nepal, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
"In close contact with the foreign ministry, the Italian embassy in New Delhi is following with the utmost attention the case of fellow countryman Federico Negri, who was detained by border authorities on charges of illegally entering Indian territory from Nepal," said the statement.
Negri, who faces eight years in prison, is currently in pre-trial detention. The Italian embassy is in "constant contact" with Indian authorities and is providing "all useful assistance" to him and his family, the statement said.
Police in the state of Uttar Pradesh arrested Negri in mid-July after he entered India across a bridge without paying a 40 euro toll, according to media reports. Negri claims he did not know he was obliged to pay the toll.
When he was arrested, Negri had been about to return home to Italy after a two-and-a-half-year trip to China and Nepal.
