Aligarh man jailed in Pakistan may return home soon, says family

Aligarh (UP), Dec 28 (PTI) An Aligarh man who crossed into Pakistan last year after falling in love with a woman he met online and was jailed there for illegal entry, may soon return home, his family said on Sunday.

Badal Babu (20), a resident of Khitkari village, had left home in the summer of 2024 to work as a tailor in Delhi. He went missing in September, triggering panic in his family.

Days later, Badal telephoned his father Kirpal Singh and informed him that he was lodged in a jail in Pakistan's Mandi Bahauddin town near the Indo-Pak border.

According to the family, Badal had met an unmarried Pakistani woman named Sana Rani on Facebook. As their friendship grew, Badal allegedly crossed the heavily guarded border and reached her village in Pakistan's Punjab province.

After hosting him for two days, the woman and her mother persuaded Badal to return to India, fearing consequences. Badal left their house but instead of returning to India, he worked as a daily wage labourer in Pakistan before being arrested by authorities there.

Initially suspected of espionage, he was later charged with illegal entry and sentenced to one year jail after investigations ruled out spying, Badal's family said.

Kirpal Singh said the family, with the help of Aligarh district authorities, engaged a lawyer in Pakistan. Earlier this week, the lawyer, Faiyaaz Ramay, informed them via video call that Badal has completed his sentence and was released from jail. He has since been moved to a detention centre, where he will remain until formalities for his return to India are completed.

"The lawyer told us that Badal is likely to return to his village within a week or so. That would be the end of a nightmare for us," Kirpal Singh said, adding that the family had almost lost the hope of seeing him alive amid deteriorating bilateral relations.

When contacted, a senior police official said it would be premature to comment on the developments. "All our efforts are directed towards Badal's safe return home. We will be in a better position to comment once he is back," he said. PTI COR CDN RUK RUK