BSF personnel caught a 20-year-old youth from Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch area, while he was attempting to cross over to neighbouring Pakistan to allegedly meet his girlfriend. Hailing from Osmanabad in Maharashtra, the young man revealed that he had travelled nearly 1200-odd kilometres to meet a girl from Shah Faisal town in Karachi, Pakistan.
Siddiqui Mohammad Zishan had befriended the girl on Facebook and both of them had been in constant touch on social media via Facebook and Whatsapp. He wanted to go to Pakistan and had tried to use Google Maps for navigation, the young man said.
He was found by BSF personnel in a dehydrated condition and revealed that he had fainted while trying to cross the Rann of Kutch. An ATM card, and other documents like Aadhaar and PAN card helped the security personnel to identify him.
During the search operation, the BSF found a bike which the youth had abandoned when he reached close to the border. He had used the bike to travel from his hometown in Maharashtra. The young man was apprehended about 1.5 kilometres away from the Indo-Pakistan international border based on information shared by the Crime Branch of Maharashtra Police.
The Maharashtra Police had informed the Gujarat Police about a missing complaint that had been lodged by the parents of the youth. The Gujarat Police in turn sought help from the Border Security Force personnel and after tracking his mobile phone, the young man was traced in an area near Dholavira.
The BSF personnel have handed over the young man to the police for further investigation and so that his story can be verified.