BEIJING: India has returned a Chinese soldier detained for straying over the contested Himalayan frontier, China's military said Monday, of a remote flashpoint area between the two countries.

The soldier was apprehended Friday on the Indian side of the high altitude border where rival troops fought deadly battles in June last year.

He was returned to Chinese forces at noon Monday, according to the official People Liberation Army Daily.

The military newspaper said the soldier had "lost his way due to darkness and complicated terrain."

The soldier was handed over "according to a relevant agreement between China and India," the PLA Daily said. The Indian army later confirmed it had returned the individual.