Five detained Indians were released by China’s army on Saturday amid bilateral border tensions and accusations by a hawkish Chinese tabloid that the men were spies.

The People’s Liberation Army of China returned the five men to the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, known as South Tibet in China, the New Delhi government said.

The group had been reported missing after going hunting in Arunachal Pradesh on Sept. 4 and was suspected of having been taken away by Chinese troops. Indian media reports said the men lost their way, mistakenly crossed into Chinese territory and were found by the PLA. Their disappearance prompted officials from the two countries to communicate on a military hotline.

The men’s identities and purpose of wandering into China was questioned by Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the nationalist tabloid Global Times. He alleged that the five had disguised themselves as hunters to spy in the Tibetan city of Shannan. “They were detained by the Chinese and received warnings and education,” Hu said on his Twitter microblog.

Armed personnel from China and India have clashed on multiple occasions along the Himalayan border since June. At least 20 Indian soldiers died during a fight with PLA troops in Galwan Valley on June 15. On Monday, Beijing and New Delhi accused each other of striking first when dozens of soldiers armed with rods, spears and clubs from both sides clashed in the Ladakh region.

This was followed by a Moscow meeting on Thursday between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, during which they reached a five-point consensus to de-escalate military tensions on their border.

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