In January, an Indian man was arrested for serving to a Pakistani girl enter the nation illegally and get a pretend ID card.

The individual he helped was his spouse.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, 21, from India and Iqra Jeewani, 19, from Pakistan met and fell in love on-line three years in the past, whereas taking part in the board sport Ludo. But they knew it could be arduous for them to be collectively.

India and Pakistan share a fraught relationship – the neighbours have fought three wars since 1947, when India was partitioned on independence and Pakistan created. This could make it arduous for individuals to get visas to journey to see one another.

So final September, Mulayam and Iqra travelled to Nepal, the place they acquired married. They then travelled to the Indian metropolis of Bangalore (Bengaluru) – the capital of Karnataka state – and lived collectively.

But their comfortable life turned tragic in January – Ms Jeewani was detained for getting into India illegally whereas Mr Yadav was arrested and charged with fraud, forgery and offering shelter to a international nationwide with out correct paperwork.

She was deported to Pakistan final week, whereas Mr Yadav stays in jail in Bangalore.

Mr Yadav’s members of the family, who reside within the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, are devastated by the arrests. They say the couple’s story is solely one in all love.

“We want them home,” says his brother Jeetlal. “We understand the situation between India and Pakistan. But all they did was fall in love.”

Even the police appear to agree.

“Besides the illegal entry and forgery, it seems to be a love story,” a senior Bangalore police official mentioned on situation of anonymity

That love story started in 2020, throughout the Covid lockdown.

Mr Yadav labored as a safety guard for an IT firm in Bangalore whereas Ms Jeewani was a scholar in Pakistan’s Hyderabad metropolis.

The two started a long-distance relationship after assembly on-line. But Ms Jeewani was below growing stress from her household to get married.

On Mr Yadav’s suggestion, she left Pakistan and travelled to Nepal through Dubai to satisfy him. Police say the 2 acquired married in a Hindu ceremony in a temple there and got here to India.

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But Ms Jeewani didn’t have the paperwork required to remain in India, so police say Mr Yadav organized a pretend Aadhaar card – an Indian id doc – for her.

According to the police, Mr Yadav would exit daily to work whereas Ms Jeewani stayed at house.

But she often made WhatsApp calls to her mom again house in Pakistan, which led the police to her.

Bangalore police officers say they had been on excessive alert final month as a result of two main worldwide occasions had been as a consequence of happen within the metropolis in February: the Aero India air present and a G20 finance ministers’ assembly.

After additional investigation, Ms Jeewani was detained for unlawful entry and handed over to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office on 20 January. She was deported to Pakistan in February.

“As of now, there is no offence made out against her other than just coming into the country illegally,” S Girish, deputy police commissioner in Bangalore’s Whitefield district, advised the BBC. “But the investigation is ongoing.”

The BBC couldn’t attain Ms Jeewani or her household in Pakistan for remark. Earlier this week, PTI information company reported that her father had confirmed that she had reached house, and that they didn’t wish to “speak on this issue”.

Mr Yadav’s mom Shanti Devi says she hopes the governments of each nations might help reunite them.

“We don’t care if she’s Muslim or Pakistani, she’s our daughter-in-law. We’ll take good care of her.”

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