Aligarh man in Pakistan jail after crossing border to marry Facebook friend

A YOUNG Indian man crossed over illegally into Pakistan to meet a Facebook friend he wanted to marry, but instead found himself behind bars.

To add to his distress, the woman told the local police she does not want to marry him.

Badal Babu from the Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh was arrested on December 28 in the Mandi Bahauddin district of Pakistan's Punjab province (some 240 km from Lahore).

Babu, who is in his 20s, crossed the border to meet the Facebook friend with whom he wanted to marry.

Pakistan Police have recorded the statement of Babu's Facebook friend Sana Rani, 21, who said she wasn't interested in marrying him.

"In her statement to police, Sana Rani says that Babu and she have been friends on Facebook for the last two-and-a-half years. But she is not interested in marrying him," a Punjab police officer, Nasir Shah, told PTI on Thursday.

He said Babu illegally crossed the border and reached Sana Rani's Maung village in Mandi Bahauddin, where he was arrested by law enforcers.

When asked whether Babu met Rani, the police officer said he couldn't confirm this.

It is also not independently confirmed whether Rani gave a statement to the police refusing to marry Babu under pressure.

However, a source told PTI that officials of a Pakistani intelligence agency quizzed Rani and her other family members over her relationship with Babu.

Upon his arrest, Babu narrated his "love story" to the police. Babu was detained under Pakistan's Foreign Act sections 13 and 14 as he was travelling without any legal documents.

Later, he was produced before a court, which placed him in judicial custody for 14 days. The next hearing is on January 10.

Family shocked

Babu's father Kirpal Singh, who lives in Khitkari village under the Barla police station area in the Aligarh district, told the local media that the family learned of his arrest via social media.

"We couldn't believe it. For us, till this moment, we knew that he was working in Delhi, but the next moment, we were shocked to discover that he's in a Pakistani jail. It's like something out of a movie," he said in disbelief.

The family has now appealed to the Indian government, particularly to prime minister Narendra Modi, to intervene for Babu's release.

"We want our son back. We don't know how to bring him home. We are calling on the prime minister to help us," Babu's mother told local reporters.

"He was a simple boy. He never did anything like this before," she added.

Aligarh Superintendent of Police (Rural) Amrit Jain confirmed that they had received a memorandum from the family and would be taking the matter up with the Ministry of External Affairs.

"We will approach the proper channels to provide whatever assistance is necessary and work towards establishing contact with Babu. Our primary goal is to secure his release from custody in Pakistan," Jain said in a statement.

According to family sources, Babu was very active on Facebook, where he reportedly connected with a girl from Pakistan.

After informing his parents that he would be heading to Delhi for work, Babu left his village after Raksha Bandhan in August.

Just before Diwali, his family received a video call on WhatsApp, in which Babu reassured them that he was safe, had found a job and was using a friend's phone because he could not afford his own.

His family later learned that Babu had somehow crossed the international border near Jammu, although these details remain unconfirmed, the Indian sources said.

Previous cases

This is not the first time someone from India has crossed into Pakistan to meet a love interest developed through social media.

Previously, an Indian woman named Anju travelled to Pakistan to meet her lover. She converted to Islam and married a Pakistani man, Nasrullah.

Last year, Seema Haider, a woman from Pakistan, befriended an Indian man through the PUBG game. She crossed into India via Nepal with her four children and later married him.

Similarly, last year, 19-year-old Pakistani girl Iqra Jiwani developed a friendship with 25-year-old Indian national Mulayam Singh Yadav through an online game. Iqra and Mulayam later married in Nepal. (PTI)