UP ATS arrest Pak national Seema and her Indian partner
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorism Squad on Monday took the Pakistani national Seema Haider, her Indian partner Sachin Meena and his father Netrapal Singh into custody from Gautam Budh Nagar for questioning. Haider had crossed over to India to live with Meena whom she befriended via an online game.
This comes days after the trio were given bail on a set of conditions. The conditions laid down by the court prohibited Seema from leaving India without informing the police. She was also asked to inform the court in case she changed her current address.
Seema and her partner were arrested on July 4 in Ballabhgarh, Haryana, after a lawyer they had approached for marriage alerted the authorities about her illegal travel. Sachin’s father was also arrested, but all three were released on bail on July 8. “As per protocol, the UP ATS informed the local Greater Noida police that they will be questioning Haider, Meena and Singh in relation to concerns regarding national security. When the three were arrested by Gautam Budh Nagar police last month, central agencies and the Uttar Pradesh anti terror squad had been alerted by us. Hence, they are carrying out investigations on their end as per procedure,” Anand Kulkarni, Additional Commissioner of Police, Gautam Budh Nagar, told local reporters.
When asked, he added that they are only being questioned and have not been ‘picked up’ by the ATS. A senior UP police officer said that Haider is a Pakistani citizen and there have been several rumours about her, one of them being she is a Pakistani spy. The officer stated that there are many elements involved in her illegal arrival in India so her interrogation becomes necessary from a security standpoint
Haider entered India with her four children last month after she fell in love with Meena through the gaming app PUBG during lockdown. The couple started living together in Greater Noida. However, Haider was arrested on July 4 for illegally entering India without a visa, while Meena was put behind bars for sheltering the illegal immigrants.
