With hopes of meeting a Pakistani woman he met with online, a 36-year-old man from Jammu and Kashmir arrived in Khavda village in Gujarat's Kutch district to cross the border but was detained by police, officials said.
The man believing he could legally cross into Pakistan through the Kutch border, sought help from local residents to gain official permission from authorities. However, his plan was thwarted as police detained him before he could proceed with any further actions.
Imtiyaz Sheikh travlled to Kutch to cross border
Imtiyaz Sheikh, a resident of Bandipora district in Jammu and Kashmir, travelled to Gujarat's Kutch district to meet a Pakistani social media influencer from Multan, Pakistan. "Sheikh reached Khavda hoping to cross the border and enter Pakistan to meet a woman he met online. He was under the impression that he could cross into Pakistan from this border. We detained him after he reached Khavda on Tuesday," said Kutch (west) Superintendent of Police Sagar Bagmar.
However, following the preliminary investigation and verification with Sheikh’s family and local police in Jammu and Kashmir, authorities concluded that there was no security threat and was later that evening.
Sheikh appeared to be mentally unsound
Bagmar further said that Sheikh seems to be mentally unstable.
Inspector MB Chauhan said that Sheikh's misguided attempt to cross the border stemmed from his search to find a simpler route to meet the Pakistani social media influencer, as travelling from Kashmir to Pakistan was not a feasible option for him.
“Sheikh was attracted towards a Pakistani social media influencer from Multan city and decided to meet her. He used Google Maps and concluded that Kutch was his best option,” Chauhan added.
He sought help from villagers to secure permission from authorities to legally enter Pakistan. "We brought him to the police station after being alerted by villagers," said Chauhan.
(With PTI inputs)
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