Jaipur, Dec 06:
A 22-year-old young man from Pakistan’s border district Bahawalpur has been arrested after he crossed the border fence in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar late on Saturday night.
Mohammad Amir told the border guards who caught him that he was on his way to Mumbai to meet the woman he befriended on Facebook and fell in love with, people aware of the matter said.
The young man only had a mobile phone and some currency notes on him when he was caught on Saturday by a patrol team of the Border Security Force in Anupgarh, one of district’s 10 tehsils, Anand Sharma, superintendent of police, Sri Ganganagar district said.
The details are still sketchy. Sharma stressed the security agencies are yet to verify his version. A joint team of intelligence officers will start interrogating him, possibly on Tuesday, and cross-check every claim that he has made.
Sharma said the man, who identified himself as Mohammad Amir from Hasilpur tehsil in Bahawalpur district, told security officials during his preliminary interrogation that he had been in touch with a Mumbai-based woman he met on Facebook. Over time, they became good friends, exchanged numbers and according to his version, they also decided to get married.
Mohammad Amir told officials that he did apply for an Indian visa to travel to Mumbai but the request was denied by Indian authorities.
But he wouldn’t let it be and decided to still travel to Mumbai.
“On being denied a visa, he planned to cross the border fence to meet the girl,” Sharma said.
How did he intend to travel from the remote border location to Mumbai 1200km away? Amir wasn’t sure. “When we asked him, Amir said he would have probably walked to Mumbai,” Sharma said.
It isn’t clear how he reached the India-Pakistan border location on the Pakistani side either. The Hasilpur tehsil where Amir lives is about 150km from the international border.
Officials said they have not approached the woman in Mumbai yet. This will be done only if required after Amir’s joint interrogation.
It is unlikely that Amir will be able to meet the Mumbai woman for now.
“If the story narrated by the youth is true and there is nothing suspicious, then he will be handed over back to Pakistan,” said Sharma, outlining the best-case scenario for the 22-year-old.(HT)