PUBG-love story of Seema-Sachin: Questions & concerns remain over illegal entry in India

A woman from Pakistan identified as Seema Ghulam Haider (30) crossed the border into India illegally with her four children in order to live with Sachin Meena (22), whom she met online while playing PUBG in 2019. This occurrence has caused many people to wonder how a Pakistani woman and her children were able to enter Indian territory via Nepal. She also brought her four kids, who are all under the age of seven. The pair began residing in a flat in Greater Noida, in the state of Uttar Pradesh which also borders Nepal.

This incident has gripped the nation since days as the people are divided on the issue where one side is saying she should be allowed to live in India as she has come on the grounds of love. Whereas the other side is alleging that even if this is love she should not be allowed as her entry in India is through illegal means. 

Reportedly, questions have also been raised against Seema where people are claiming that she could be an agent of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI and she should be lawfully prosecuted for entering India illegally. 

How did Seema and Sachin meet? 

Sachin and Seema interacted for the first time when they met online on a gaming app formerly known as PUBG in India. The game is now named as BGMI in India. Seema said in an interview to Republic that she used to talk all-day-long with Sachin till her mobile got shut. 

Seema and Sachin continued to play the online game together, and as their relationship developed, they decided to move in together in India, all unknown to Seema's husband Ghulam Haider, who was abroad for employment in Saudi Arabia.

In an interview given to Republic, Sachin Meena said that he went to Nepal to meet Seema through a bus on March 8 and reached Nepal on the morning of March 10 where Seema reached by flight to Kathmandu airport from Pakistan. 

According to police and attorney Parashar, Sachin and Seema spent seven days together in Kathmandu before being married in secret, the PTI reported.

She later returned to Pakistan, and Sachin came back to India. According to authorities, Seema sold a plot at home for 12 lakh Pakistani rupees, arranged for fight tickets, and obtained Nepali visas for herself and her children. Seema also claimed discord with Ghulam Haider, her husband. 

She travelled from Dubai to Nepal in May, where she spent some time at the popular tourist destination of Pokhara. She then boarded a bus bound for Delhi from Kathmandu and arrived in Greater Noida with her kids on May 13. Sachin had made arrangements for her to stay in a rented residence there without revealing her identity.

The Indo-Pak couple was arrested on July 4 by UP Police after a neighbour complained to the police about the illegitimacy of the couple’s marriage. In an effort to avoid being detained by the police, Sachin, Seema, and her kids fled but were apprehended in Ballabhgarh, Haryana. Sachin’s father, Netrapal Singh (50), was also taken into custody for the charge of sheltering an illegal immigrant. 

The cross-border couple was then released on bail on Saturday by a UP court. Sachin’s father was also released on bail by the local court a day before the couple was granted bail. 

However, the court imposed a requirement on Seema Ghulam Haider, ordering her to refrain from relocating while the lawsuit was pending. According to a report, the pair has been also instructed to frequently mark their presence before the court.

According to Hemant Krishna Parashar, the couple’s lawyer, they married each other in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.

Sachin also disclosed in the interview to Republic that they were residing in the flat for more than a month without telling anyone and the matter only escalated when they tried to admit Seema’s kids in the school. 

When Republic’s reporter asked Seema about questions being raised regarding her brother in Army & ISI, Seema Haider said, “My brother is not ISI, he has also gone to the Army only in 2022. He didn't even become a confirmed officer, he has a salary of 18000 Pakistani Rupee. If it is reduced two to three times, then their salary will be made in Indian currency. India's 8 to 9 thousand (rupee) is his salary. He is not a big officer and I have nothing to do with him.”

On the question of leaving her husband Ghulam Haider, Seema said that she is not sad about leaving her husband, and she was irritated by him because he has been a bad human being and he is now pretending to be a good man. 

Ghulam Haider, Seema's husband, pleaded with the Indian authorities to facilitate their reunification in a video message from Saudi Arabia. He claimed that the Indian media was how he learnt that his wife and kids were living in Greater Noida, India.

Seema, however, informed the media that she did not want to return to Ghulam Haider and that she would face a threat to her life if she went back to Pakistan, citing the strict local laws. 

When asked for her statement in the event that the Indian government deported her, Seema responded to the media saying, "I will end my life instead of going back to Pakistan. He (Sachin) also cannot live without me."

(With inputs from Agencies)