Thu Jan 02 14:02:30 UTC 2025: ## Indian Man Jailed in Pakistan After Illegal Border Crossing for Facebook Romance Gone Wrong

**MANDI BAHAUDDIN, PAKISTAN –** A 30-year-old Indian man, Badal Babu, is facing charges in Pakistan after illegally crossing the border in an attempt to marry a 21-year-old woman he befriended on Facebook. Babu, from Uttar Pradesh, India, was arrested last week in Mandi Bahauddin district of Punjab province after traveling approximately 240 kilometers from Lahore.

Babu’s intended bride, Sana Rani, reportedly told police she has no intention of marrying him, despite a two-and-a-half-year online friendship. While police confirmed receiving Rani’s statement, it remains unclear whether she was pressured to make this declaration. Intelligence officials reportedly questioned Rani and her family regarding their relationship with Babu.

Babu, who was apprehended without legal documents, faces charges under Pakistan’s Foreign Act sections 13 and 14. He was presented in court and remanded into judicial custody for 14 days, with his next hearing scheduled for January 10th. Police haven’t confirmed whether Babu and Rani ever actually met before his arrest.

This incident follows a series of similar cross-border romances involving social media, including the case of Anju, an Indian woman who married a Pakistani man after converting to Islam, and Seema Haider, a Pakistani woman who moved to India to marry a man she met playing PUBG. Another couple, Iqra Jiwani and Mulayam Singh Yadav, married in Nepal after meeting online. These cases highlight the complexities and potential risks of international relationships formed primarily through online platforms.

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