“Humaari bhabhi aayi hain Pakistan se. Hum bhi unhi ko dekhne aaye hain (Our sister-in-law has come from Pakistan. We are here to see her),” said Shashi Kumar, a daily wage labourer from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, who travelled 50 km to Jewar on Thursday, 13 July to get a glimpse of Seema Ghulam Haider and her children.

The two claimed that they met — and fell in love — in 2020 on the hugely popular gaming app, PUBG-Battleground.

Sachin and his father were also arrested by the police on charges of sheltering Seema.

The couple was granted bail by a civil court in Jewar on 7 July. The court also ordered that as long as the case continues, Seema will not change her residence and will live with Sachin.

The couple’s release from jail catapulted Rabupura, a nondescript village in Jewar in western UP, to international headlines.

Rabupura is where Sachin and his family live, and it is here that Seema, along with her four children, rented a room and lived with Sachin for two months until the UP police came knocking at their door.

When The Quint visited Rabupura on 13 July, Sachin and Seema were not home. Sachin’s uncle Birbal Meena said that back-to-back media interviews presence took a toll on the couple’s health.

“The media does not allow them to breathe, eat, take tea breaks and even go to the washroom. This impacted Seema’s well being and she or he fainted. We needed to rush her to the hospital,” Birbal said.

Despite the couple’s absence, their love story was all anybody could talk about in the village which had a sea of people who were waiting for Seema to return from the hospital.

Surendra Singh, Sachin’s neighbour, told The Quint that people start gathering outside the family’s modest two-room house at 9 am and do not leave till at least 10 pm.

“Seema has come and persons are right here to see her. Public gathers round as quickly as folks from the media come right here. This place is crowded until 6 pm and typically even 10 pm. They do not let the household eat, prepare dinner, deal with the youngsters, or wash,” he mentioned.

Several residents of Rabupura are convinced that it was the couple’s love that drove Seema to India. “This is a case of affection. Even although the police are investigating if she (Seema Haider) is a spy, we will not say that their love shouldn’t be true. Anything is feasible,” said Rakesh Sharma, who runs a kirana store in Rabupura.

Sachin’s neighbour Harendra Singh, however, was not convinced.

“Tomorrow anyone will come and begin staying right here. The inhabitants is anyway on the rise. Do we now have any safety or not? No matter in the event that they’re proper or unsuitable, Modi authorities ought to ship them again to Pakistan. Tell me who will preserve folks like these of their nation?” he asked.

Seema had earlier told The Quint that she accepted Hindu religion when the couple got married at the Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal in March 2023.

“I’ve accepted Hinduism and named my youngsters Raj, Priyanka, Munni and Pari,” she had said.

Rinku Thakur, a resident of Greater Noida, said that it was important for Seema to convert to Hinduism.

“Let’s say she stays as a Muslim…(Sachin) is a poor man. Tomorrow if she calls for for a goat value Rs 4,000-5,000 to be slaughtered, the place will he get it from? How are you able to slaughter goats in a home the place goddess Tulsi is worshipped?” Thakur asked as he stood outside Sachin and Seema’s Rabupura home waiting for the couple to return.