Lahore/Aligarh, 3 January 2025 – A young man from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested in Pakistan after crossing the border illegally to meet a woman he had befriended on Facebook, only to discover she had no interest in marrying him.
Badal Babu, in his twenties, was detained by the Punjab police on December 28 in the Mandi Bahauddin district, about 240 kilometers from Lahore.
According to police officer Nasir Shah, Babu and 21-year-old Sana Rani had been communicating on Facebook for over two years, but he was unaware that Rani had no intention of marrying him.
“Sana Rani stated that while they had been online friends for some time, she had no interest in marriage,” Shah told PTI.
It remains unclear whether the two had met before Babu’s arrest. Authorities are also investigating whether Rani’s refusal to marry was influenced by external pressure.
Babu’s arrest followed his unlawful crossing of the border into Pakistan and his attempt to visit Rani in Mandi Bahauddin. He faces charges under the Foreign Act for lacking legal travel documents and has been placed in judicial custody after a court hearing. His next hearing is scheduled for January 10.
Babu’s family, unaware of his unauthorized trip, was shocked by the news. His father, Kirpal Singh, expressed disbelief to local media: “We couldn’t believe it. He was supposed to be working in Delhi. To find out he’s in a Pakistani jail… it feels like something out of a movie.”
The family has reached out to the Indian government for help, with Babu’s mother asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for assistance: “We just want our son back. We don’t know how to bring him home.”
Aligarh’s Superintendent of Police (Rural) Amrit Jain confirmed that the family had sent a memorandum. “We will contact the Ministry of External Affairs to assist in establishing communication with Babu and working towards his release,” Jain said.
Babu had told his family he was going to Delhi for work, leaving his village in August after the Raksha Bandhan festival. He reassured his parents through a video call before Diwali, confirming he was safe and employed. However, they later discovered he had somehow entered Pakistan, though the full details remain unclear.
This incident is not unique, as others have made similar cross-border journeys to meet online love interests. In the past, individuals like Anju, who traveled to Pakistan to marry Nasrullah, and Seema Haider, a Pakistani woman who crossed into India to marry an Indian man she met online, have also made headlines.
