A 21-year-old man in Aligarh district has found himself behind bars in Pakistan due to a romantic relationship with a girl from across the border, officials here said.
The young man, identified as Badal Babu, was arrested on December 28 by Pakistani authorities in the Punjab province for illegally crossing into the neighbouring country without any legal documents, the officials said.
The shockwave from this unexpected incident reached Babu's village through the media. His parents, who had believed their son was working in a factory in Delhi, were shocked to learn of his arrest through a report sourced from a Pakistani news portal.
Babu's father, Kirpal Singh, who lives in Khitkari village under Barla police station area, told media that the family learned of their son's arrest via social media.
"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," he said, in disbelief.
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 said, speaking to reporters.
"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.
According to family sources, Babu was very active on Facebook, where he reportedly connected with a girl from Pakistan. After informing his parents that he would be heading to Delhi for work, Babu left his village after Raksha Bandhan in August.
Just before Diwali, his family received a video call on WhatsApp, in which Babu reassured them that he was safe, had found a job and was using a friend's phone because he could not afford his own. His family later learned that Babu had somehow crossed the international border near Jammu, although these details remain unconfirmed, the sources said.