Maharashtra ATS begins probe after married woman travels to Pakistan to marry boyfriend

Maharashtra Police received an email from an unidentified person claiming a 32-year-old woman — resident of Maharashtra's Sambhaji Nagar (formerly known as Aurangabad) — had travelled to Pakistan via Dubai to marry her boyfriend. Upon receiving the email, the state intelligence and central agencies were also informed about the same.

During the investigation, it appeared that the suspected woman, a mother of four children, left her family and business to marry her Pakistani boyfriend in December last year. A missing complaint was filed at Cidco Police Station in Chatrapati Sambhaji Nagar in December 2022 by her businessman husband. Maharashtra ATS recorded the statement of her husband who had filed the missing complaint, following which it appeared that the woman was residing with her parents in Malegaon in Nashik district of Maharashtra. 

Sources in Maharashtra Police informed that the email stated that the woman had married a Pakistani citizen in Dubai and travelled with him to Pakistan and Libya. The email also stated that the woman had allegedly travelled to Rawalpindi with her then-Pakistani boyfriend (now her husband) whom she got connected through social media. it further stated that the Pakistani citizen belonged to a family, which has links with the ISI. 

Speaking about the email, a source in Maharashtra ATS confirmed with Republic TV by saying, "Initially the email was sent on the email ID of CISF (Central Industrial Security Force), Mumbai International Airport as well as Director General of Civil Aviation. The district police informed us regarding the same. The case is being parallelly handled by ATS, Sambhaji Nagar Police and Maharashtra Cyber Cell. The nodal cyber cell is also trying to track the IP address and identify the user of the email."

A Maharashtra Police official said, "We have located the woman in Malegaon and recorded her statement. We are verifying her travel history. It's true that she was connected to a Pakistani national and fled Dubai last year. She returned to India on August 4. Her husband in Sambhaji Nagar, in January, had received a marriage certificate in Urdu/ Arabic language on WhatsApp. In the email, her picture with the Pakistan national is also attached." 

A senior official from Maharashtra ATS said, "We have not come to any conclusion so far. The case is as serious as any other case. As of now, the Sambhaji Nagar Police is carrying out its investigation and the cyber cell is also verifying the details of the email. It will be too early to tell if the suspected woman is involved in any anti-India activities or not. But, if need be, action will be taken."