Gujarat: Young Pakistani Couple Claiming To Be Minors Walk 3 Days Through Desert To Illegally Enter India To Escape Families’ Opposition, Arrested in Kutch; Medical Tests Confirm They Are Adults

Kutch, November 20: To escape their families, a young couple from Pakistan eloped to India, hoping to find safety, but were arrested near the Kutch border on October 8 after locals reported their suspicious presence. The duo, who claimed to be minors fleeing opposition to their relationship, had walked through harsh desert terrain for three days before reaching Ratanpar village. Villagers initially offered them food and water, unaware they had entered India illegally. Their attempt to seek refuge quickly turned into a legal ordeal as security agencies took them into custody.

According to a Times of India report, the couple, identified as Toto alias Tara Chudi and Meena alias Puja Chudi from Pakistan’s Tharparkar district, told officials they were 15 and 16 years old and had fled because their families refused to accept their relationship. However, they carried no documents to prove their age. Their claims were tested during a month-long medical examination at the Bhuj government hospital, which confirmed Toto was 21 and Meena was between 18 and 20 years old. With their true ages established, the Khadir police formally arrested them under the Immigration Act, Foreigners Act and Passport Act. Seema Haider-Like Case in Pakistan: UP's Badal Babu Arrested After Crossing India-Pakistan Border Illegally to Meet Facebook Lover in Mandi Bahauddin.

Investigators found nothing illegal in their possession, but the absence of identification and their choice to cross an international border raised major security concerns. Kutch (East) superintendent of police Sagar Bagmar told TOI that polygraph and brain mapping tests would be conducted, with their consent, to gather additional information. Security agencies noted that they remained firm in their claim that they crossed over only to stay together, hoping India would serve as a safe haven far from their families’ reach. Their movements drew attention after the Ratanpar village sarpanch informed the police, triggering swift action in a region where authorities maintain strict surveillance due to its proximity to Pakistan. Tripura: Pakistani Woman Held for Illegal Entry, Suspected Links to Human Trafficking, Drug Smuggling.

Further inquiry revealed that the couple left their village past midnight on October 4, navigating dunes, rocky stretches and the Banni grasslands before slipping across pillar number 1027 near the Bhanjna Bhainshala border outpost. As per TOI, they walked for nearly three days without food, reaching a temple in Ratanpar where villagers offered them help. Officials later said the duo admitted they had crossed the border intentionally, believing Indian territory would shield them from their families’ objections, a decision that ultimately led to their arrest and a complex investigation into their motives and route.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 20, 2025 01:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).