Seema Haider illegal entry in India: UP DGP reveals key details of probe, seized items

Seema Haider (30) and Sachin Meena’s (22) cross-border love story has been hogging the media spotlight during the past few days ever since she illegally entered India through Nepal, along with her four children. As the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (UP ATS) continues to probe the espionage angle in Seema Haider's journey from Karachi to Greater Noida, the Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday, July 19 said that four mobile phones, two video cassettes, five Pakistan-authorised passports, and one unused passport with an incomplete name and address were recovered from Seema Haider.

Noida-based Sachin Meena’s lover Seema Haider was being interrogated continuously for three straight days by UP ATS. The Pakistani national is under the scanner after she along with her four children crossed over to India via Nepal in May this year to be with her lover, Sachin Meena.

The Uttar Pradesh DGP office, in a statement, said, "Two video cassettes, four mobile phones, five Pakistan-authorised passports, one unused passport with incomplete name and address and ID card recovered from Seema Haider. Investigation of the same is underway. She, along with her four children, entered India illegally and the District Police is carrying out an investigation in this regard.”

According to UP DGP, following facts have come to light:

• Sachin Meena and Pakistani woman Seema Ghulam Haider came in contact with each other through online game PUBG in the year 2020. After playing video games for about 15 days, both of them had a conversation with each other and they shared their WhatsApp numbers. 
• Seema Haider's husband Ghulam Haider went to Saudi Arabia to work in 2019. He used to send Rs 70-80 thousand per month (Pakistani Rupees) from Saudi. Seema Haider used to save 20-25 thousand rupees per month. She had also invested in two committees of 1 lakh rupees each for 20 months. In 2021, about 2 lakh rupees were collected from the committees.
• She used to save Rs 4-5 lakhs annually and used to keep all her savings with the daughter of the landlord. Rs 1 lakh was sent by Haider's father and 5-6 lakh rupees were from her savings. In addition, Haider once sent Rs 2 lakhs 50 thousand from Saudi. With the help of relatives, she bought a house of 39 yards worth Rs 12 lakh. About three months after buying the house, in January 2022, she sold the house for 12 lakhs in order to come to India for Sachin Meena.
• Seema Haider reached Nepal on March 10, 2023 from Pakistan's Karachi Airport via Sharjah Airport to Kathmandu Airport in Nepal on a 15 days tourist visa and returned from Nepal on March 17, 2023 via the same route. She reached Karachi Airport on March 18, 2023. 
• Sachin Meena reached Gorakhpur from Pari Chowk, Gautam Buddha Nagar on March 8 and on the next day, he left for Sonoli border in Kathmandu, Nepal. He stayed at New Vinayak Hotel, New Bus Adda Park in Kathmandu on March 10.
• Sachin Meena received Seema Haider from Kathmandu airport on March 10, 2023 and brought her to New Vinayak Hotel, Kathmandu where both of them stayed together till March 17, 2023.
• For the second time, Seema Haider came to Dubai from Pakistan on May 10 with her four children - Farhan alias Raj (aged 7 years 06 months) and daughter Farwah alias Priyanka (aged 06 years 06 months), Fariha alias Pari (aged 06 years 06 months). 05 years), Munni (age 03 years). They reached Kathmandu airport on May 11 and stayed in Nepal’s Pokhara. 
• She reached Rabupura in Noida on May 13 via Roopandehi Khunwa border. She took the bus from Pokhara on May 12 and entered Indian territory from district Siddharthnagar via Lucknow, Agra. 
• Sachin Meena, who boarded a bus from Gautam Budh Nagar, had already taken a rented room in Rabupura where the duo stayed together. 
• Two video cassettes, 4 mobile phones, 5 Pakistani authorised passports including one with incomplete name-address from Seema Haider have been seized. Unused passports and identity cards have also been recovered. 

Can't say right now if Seema Haider is a Pakistani spy: UP Police officer

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday said it would not be appropriate to say if Pakistani citizen Seema Haider, who entered India illegally in May and is staying with her partner in Noida, is a spy unless we have enough proof. Seema and her Indian partner Sachin Meena were questioned by the Uttar Pradesh Police's Anti-Terrorist Squad on July 17 and 18. They were first arrested by the local police in Greater Noida on July 4 but were granted bail by a court on July 7.

When asked if Seema could be a Pakistan spy, Uttar Pradesh Special Director General of Police Prashant Kumar said nothing could be said 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. 

In her media interactions since her bail, Seema has been saying that she entered India though the Nepal border and travelled to Noida in a bus to be with Sachin whom she met online. When asked whether the entry of a Pakistani citizen in India through the Nepal border was a security lapse, Kumar said, "This is not so. Our border (with Nepal) is porus. No passport is needed there. Nothing is written on anyone's face." 

On the ATS questioning of Seema and Sachin, the officer said that all agencies are doing their work. The couple, who claims to have gotten married in Nepal earlier this year, had first got in touch in 2019 over online game PUBG.