UP man crosses into Pakistan for Facebook romance, remains in prison
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Photo: India Today
A man from Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh who allegedly crossed into Pakistan without a visa to meet a woman he had befriended on Facebook remains lodged in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail despite reportedly completing his sentence, with his family urging the Indian government to facilitate his return.
Badal Babu, a tailor who worked in Delhi, developed an online friendship with a Pakistani woman named Sana that later turned into a romantic relationship, according to his family.
His relatives said they last spoke to him on October 30, 2024, after which he disappeared, leaving all his documents at home. They claimed they only learned about his arrest nearly 20 months ago when videos and social media posts about him surfaced online, India Today reported.
According to the family, Badal first attempted to travel to Pakistan in August 2024 but failed. They said he later crossed the border without a visa and reached Pakistan on October 15, 2024.
The family alleged that after Sana refused to marry him, Badal remained in Pakistan and found work there while staying in touch with them over phone calls.
His legal troubles began on December 27, 2024, when he was grazing goats for his employer, the family said. They claimed locals grew suspicious after noticing his Indian accent and informed the police, who arrested him for illegally entering the country and produced him before a court.
A video recorded outside the court later circulated on social media. In the clip, Badal was heard asking his family not to worry and saying that he would not return and had converted. The family said the video call had been arranged by his lawyer before he was sent to jail.
Badal is currently lodged in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore. His family claimed that although he has completed his sentence, he continues to remain in prison as the repatriation process has not yet been completed.
The family has appealed to the Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs to secure his return. They further claimed that the Aligarh administration had processed the required paperwork multiple times and that Aligarh MP Satish Gautam had earlier written to the ministry regarding the matter.
According to the family, an Indian-origin woman based in London is coordinating with Badal's legal team in Pakistan and assisting efforts to secure his release