A hotel owner in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Wednesday claimed that Pakistani citizen Seema Haider, who was arrested from Noida after illegally entering India in May, stayed at his premises with her Indian partner Sachin Meena, and the couple had booked a room under an alias name “Shivansh” during their stay.
Speaking to ANI, Ganesh, a hotel owner in Nepal, said Meena and Haider stayed at his hotel for 7-8 days in March. “During their stay, they mostly remained inside their room, occasionally going out in the evenings and returning early as the hotel closes by 9.30-10 pm,” he said.
Sachin had pre-booked the hotel and informed the hotel staff that his “wife”, Seema, would join him the following day, he said.
#WATCH | Kathmandu | Ganesh – a hotel owner in Nepal claims that UP resident Sachin and Pakistani national Seema Haider stayed at his hotel.He says, “They came here in March and left after staying here for 7-8 days. Most of the time, they used to be inside their room, go out in… pic.twitter.com/3AshzqNxCL
— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2023
Seema arrived as planned, and they both left separately, without any children, he said. “Sachin used the name “Shivansh” during their stay, and they made their payment in cash using Indian currency notes,” he added.
‘Interrogations Over Pakistani Spy Claims’
Haider was questioned by the Uttar Pradesh Police’s Anti-Terrorist Squad for 12 hours regarding the meeting, her entry into India through Nepal, and other details on Tuesday.
Meena and his father Netrapal Singh were also taken for questioning from their residence in the Rabupura area of Greater Noida around 8.30 am and brought to the ATS’s unit office in Noida around 10 am, where the questioning continued till late evening.
During the interrogation, Haider consistently maintained that she came to India solely to meet her boyfriend, Sachin Meena.
Currently, the ATS is cross-verifying her statements with data from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). Her mobile phone and other items are in the possession of ATS for data extraction, sources told News18.
The UP Police, who are also involved in the investigation, have said that her involvement in spying has not been suspected, though it is still too early to make definitive conclusions. The local police is separately investigating the case lodged under the Foreigners Act and is yet to file a chargesheet.
Uttar Pradesh Special Director General of Police Prashant Kumar said nothing could be said about spy allegations so early. “The matter is related to two countries. Till we have enough proof, it would not be appropriate to say anything in this regard,” he said.
Kumar defended concerns over security lapse and said, India’s border (with Nepal) is porus. “No passport is needed there. Nothing is written on anyone’s face.” Kumar also said no team is being sent to Nepal to probe how Haider entered India.
Haider (30) and Meena (22) were initially arrested by the local police in Greater Noida on July 4 but were later granted bail by a court on July 7.
An UP ATS officer told PTI that the couple’s arrest will be determined based on the outcome of the inquiry in this sensitive matter pertaining to national security.
cross-border PUBG Love Story
Haider entered India along with her four children in a bus from Nepal in May to live with Meena. The couple, who claims to have married in Nepal earlier this year, first got in touch in 2019 through the online game PUBG.
On July 4, Haider was arrested by the local police for entering India illegally, while Meena was held for sheltering illegal immigrants.
Both were later granted bail by a local court on July 7 and have since been residing together with her four children in a house in the Rabupura area. During her interactions with the media, Haider expressed her desire to remain in India with Meena and stated that she has embraced Hinduism.
Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have conveyed to the government that “love” was the sole factor that prompted the mother of four to clandestinely enter India, according to reports.
(With agency inputs)