News Brief

UP Police Find Pakistan-Authorized Passports On Seema Haider, Arrested For Entering India Illegally

Yathansh Joshi

Jul 20, 2023, 03:15 PM | Updated 03:15 PM IST


Sachin Meena and Seema Haider in Greater Noida.
Sachin Meena and Seema Haider in Greater Noida.

Seema Haider, a Pakistani resident who entered India illegally, was interrogated by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (UP ATS) for two days.

The police have recovered several items from her, including five Pakistan-authorised passports, an unused passport, and an identity card.

The office of the UP director general of police (DGP) has stated that an investigation is currently underway regarding the recovered documents, as well as four mobile phones and two video cassettes found in Seema's possession. The district police are taking necessary legal action regarding her illegal entry into India, and all the accused individuals are currently out on bail.

The ATS officials are focusing on the possibility of espionage in this case. Seema, aged 27, is believed to have entered India through the Nepal border.

The authorities are questioning Seema, her 22-year-old Indian husband Sachin Meena, and his father Netrapal Singh to determine if she is a spy or not.

The Gautam Buddha Nagar police have reached out to the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and UP ATS to request further investigation into the gathered evidence.

Seema Haider traveled from Pakistan to India via a specific route. She departed from the Karachi airport on March 10 and arrived at the Sharjah airport in the UAE. From there, she continued her journey to the Kathmandu airport in Nepal on a 15-day tourist visa.

On March 17, she returned to Pakistan following the same route.

Sachin Meena, on the other hand, arrived in Gorakhpur on March 8. The next day, he proceeded to the Sonauli border from Gorakhpur and then departed for Kathmandu. He reached Kathmandu in the early morning of March 10 and booked a room at the New Vinayak Hotel in the city.

Later that day, he picked up Seema Haider from the airport, and both of them stayed at the hotel until March 17.

According to the provided information, Seema Haider left Pakistan for the second time on May 10, also on a 15-day tourist visa.

Seema Haider's second journey began at the Karachi airport, where she was accompanied by her four children. From Karachi, she traveled to Dubai and then departed for Kathmandu early the next morning.

Upon arriving in Kathmandu, she took a public transport van and reached Pokhara, Nepal, in the evening. She stayed in an unnamed hotel in Pokhara for one night.

Officials reported that on the morning of March 12, Seema Haider crossed the Rupandehi-Khunwa border in the Siddharthnagar district, entering India from Pokhara via bus. She then traveled to Rabupura cut in Gautam Buddha Nagar, passing through Lucknow and Agra.

Sachin Meena had already rented a room in Rabupura, where both individuals stayed together since then, according to the UP DGP office.

According to the police, Seema and Sachin initially connected in 2020 through the game PUBG. After approximately 15 days of playing together, they exchanged phone numbers and began communicating on WhatsApp.

On July 4, Seema, Sachin Meena, and his father Netrapal Singh were arrested for various charges, including entering India illegally, providing shelter to Seema, and engaging in criminal conspiracy.

These charges were filed under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, as well as IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), and sections 3,4,5 of the Passport Act, 1920.

Following their arrest, they were placed in 14-day judicial custody. However, on July 7, they were granted bail.


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