Gay Syrian man held in Gujarat for not having valid visa, his partner too arrested

Dwarka (Guj), Nov 19 (PTI) Police have arrested a gay Syrian man for not having a valid visa along with his local partner in Gujarat's Devbhumi Dwarka district, officials said on Wednesday.

Amid intensified checks following the blast near the Red Fort in Delhi, Dwarka Police received a tip-off about a suspicious English-speaking foreign national staying at President School in Dharampur village near Khambhalia, said an official release.

Subsequently, police detained Ali Maihoub (29) who hails from Jableh, Syria, and his alleged partner and local resident Mahipat Kachhatiya (33) earlier this week. They were put under arrest after questioning.

Maihoub was working at the school which was operated by Kachhatiya, the police said.

Maihoub had met him through a dating app while studying in Rajkot, as per the release.

Police confiscated three Syrian passports and an expired student visa issued for studies at Rajkot's Marwadi Education Foundation from Maihoub.

The visa had been last renewed online until July 5, 2023, the release said.

Currently he had no valid visa, and presented a UNHCR refugee card which raised further suspicion, it added. During questioning, he revealed that he arrived in India in 2019 on a student visa, completed the studies in 2023, and later moved to Chittorgarh for higher education but failed to secure admission due to a lack of a valid visa.

But instead of returning to Syria, he shifted to Khambhalia to stay with his partner.

A case was registered against the duo under the Foreigners Act and further probe was on, the police said. PTI KVM PD KRK