Pak woman, son enter India "illegally" to meet sister, arrested in Indo-Nepal border

The mother-son had travelled from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia and then to Katmandu via Delhi. After crossing the bridge on Mechi River, when they reached Panitanki near Indo-Nepal border, they were intercepted by SSB jawans last night. They did not possess the valid visa and related documents and were handed over to the police. The duo would be produced before court today.

Darjeeling (West Bengal): A 62-year-old Pakistani woman and her minor son were arrested for illegally entering India at the Indo-Nepal international border at Panitanki in Kharibari block adjacent to Siliguri in West Bengal, officials said on Thursday. The two did not have valid visa and other documents and had entered India to meet the woman's sister who lives in South 24 Parganas district.

According to police, the 41st battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) held Shaista Hanif and her 11-year-old son Arian Mohammad Hanif last night. They were handed over to Kharibari police station of Darjeeling district police following an interrogation. The duo would be produced before the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Court on Thursday.

It has been learnt that the mother-son crossed the bridge of the Asian highway built on the Mechi River from Kakarvita in Nepal on Wednesday morning and reached Panitanki near the Indo-Nepal border. The moment they arrived here they were intercepted by SSB jawans.

While searching them, Pakistani passports and other documents were recovered from them. It was found that they were residents of Sarafa Bazar in Gahanmar Street in Pakistan's Karachi. Their passports were issued by the Pakistan government on May 29 last year. The woman's passport is valid till 2032 and the boy's till May 2027.

The mother-son went to Saudi Arabia from Pakistan. On November 5, they purchased air tickets for India and Nepal. On November 11, they reached Delhi airport from Jeddah Airport in Saudi Arabia and then boarded a Kathmandu-bound flight. The SSB officials have recovered all the flight tickets from the duo. This apart, the visa issued by the Nepal government on November 5, two mobile phones, two SIM cards, one memory card, two pen drives, 10,000 Nepalese currencies, Rs 16,350, 6 euros, 166 rials were recovered from them.

Darjeeling District Superintendent of Police Praveen Prakash said, "The mother and son arrested at the international border are Pakistani nationals. But, they have been living in Saudi Arabia for the past few years. The woman was illegally entering India with her son without a valid visa. The woman said they had come to visit her sister in North 24 Parganas. We are probing into the matter."