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UP man lands in Pakistan jail after illegally crossing border to marry ‘Facebook’ lover, his family seeks PM Modi's help
Badal Babu tried to cross the border illegally to meet Sana Rani. He was arrested last week in Mandi Bahauddin district of Pakistan's Punjab province
A 21-year-old man hailing from Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh is behind bars in Pakistan after his relationship with a girl from across the border went horribly wrong. His family, believing that their son was working in Delhi, is in shock and has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to a PTI report, adal Babu, an active Facebook user, reportedly connected with a girl from PaBkistan. He informed his parents about his plans to go to Delhi for work.
In August, Babu left his village after Raksha Bandhan. Before Diwali, his family received a video call on WhatsApp, in which Babu reassured them that he was safe, and had found a job.
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Babu told his family that he was using a friend's mobile phone because he could not afford his own. His family later learned that their son somehow crossed the international border near Jammu, PTI quoted sources as saying.
"We couldn't believe it. For us, till this moment we knew that he was working in Delhi, but the next moment we are shocked to discover that he's in a Pakistani jail. It's like something out of a movie," Babu's father, Kirpal Singh, who lives in Khitkari village under Barla police station area, said in disbelief.
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The family has now appealed to the Indian government, particularly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to intervene and negotiate with Pakistan for Babu's release.
"We want our son back and we don't know how to bring him home. We are calling on the prime minister to help us," Babu's mother was quoted by PTI as saying.
"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.
Pak girl refused to marry Babu
According to the PTI report, Badal Babu tried to cross the border illegally to meet 21-year-old Sana Rani. He was arrested last week in Mandi Bahauddin district of Pakistan's Punjab province (some 240 kms from Lahore) for illegal border crossing.
Pakistan's Punjab Police recorded the statement of Sana Rani, 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. The police officer also not independently confirmed whether Rani stated to the police refusing to marry Babu under pressure.
The PTI report quoting sources claimedthat officials of an 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 presented before a court, which placed him in judicial custody for 14 days. The next hearing is on January 10.
(With PTI inputs)
