LAHORE, Jan 2: A 30-year-old man from India illegally crossed into Pakistan to meet a Facebook friend he intended to marry, but ended up in jail instead. The woman later informed local authorities that she was not interested in a marriage.
Badal Babu, hailing from the Aligarh district in Uttar Pradesh, was taken into custody last week in the Mandi Bahauddin district of Punjab, Pakistan (about 240 km from Lahore) for crossing the border unlawfully.
Babu’s motive for this illegal border crossing was to meet his Facebook friend, whom he wished to marry.
Authorities have recorded the statement of Babu’s 21-year-old Facebook friend, Sana Rani, who expressed her lack of interest in marrying him.
“In her statement to the police, Sana Rani mentioned that she and Babu have been Facebook friends for two and a half years, but she does not wish to marry him,” said Punjab police officer Nasir Shah in an interview with PTI on Thursday.
According to reports, Babu crossed the border and reached Sana Rani’s village, Maung, in Mandi Bahauddin, where he was apprehended by the police.
When inquired if Babu had met Rani, the police officer stated he couldn’t provide confirmation.
There is also no independent verification on whether Rani’s statement to the police was made under any pressure regarding her refusal to marry Babu.
However, a source disclosed to PTI that intelligence agency officials interrogated Rani and her family members concerning her association with Babu.
Following his arrest, Babu shared his “love story” with the police. He was detained under sections 13 and 14 of Pakistan’s Foreign Act for traveling without valid documentation.
Subsequently, he was presented in court, where he was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days, with the next hearing scheduled for January 10.
This incident isn’t the first where an individual from India has crossed over into Pakistan for a romantic interest initiated via social media.
Previously, an Indian woman named Anju traveled to Pakistan to meet her lover, converting to Islam to marry a Pakistani man, Nasrullah.
Last year, Seema Haider, a Pakistani woman, formed a friendship with an Indian man through the PUBG game. She illegally entered India via Nepal with her four children and eventually married him.
In another similar case last year, 19-year-old Iqra Jiwani from Pakistan developed a connection with 25-year-old Indian national Mulayam Singh Yadav through an online game. Iqra and Mulayam later wed in Nepal. (PTI)
