Pakistan's Seema Haider, Lover Sachin Meena Questioned by UP’s Anti-Terror Squad

Seema, out on bail, was first arrested by the UP police for entering India illegally allegedly via the Nepal border.

Seema Haider and Sachin Meena were first arrested by the UP police on 4 July after a lawyer they approached for marriage alerted the police about Seema's illegal entry in India allegedly via the Nepal border.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

10 days after they were released on bail by Jewar Civil court, Pakistani national Seema Ghulam Haider, and her Indian partner Sachin Meena were questioned by the Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorism Squad (UP ATS) at an undisclosed location on Monday, 17 July.

"Seema Haider and Sachin Meena are being questioned by the UP ATS. They, however, haven't been taken into custody," SA Kulkarni, Additional CP (law and order) Noida told The Quint.

Seema and Sachin were first arrested by the UP police on 4 July after a lawyer they approached for marriage alerted the police about Seema's illegal entry in India allegedly via the Nepal border.

"They first met in Nepal in January this year. In mid-May, the 27-year-old woman along with her children, left Karachi to go to Dubai and then to Kathmandu. From Kathmandu, she went to Pokhara and took a bus and managed to cross the Indian border... Since she was a woman travelling with four children, she was able to flout security checks," DCP (Greater Noida) Saad Miya Khan had said last week.

The couple claimed that they met each other in 2020 on the hugely popular gaming app, PUBG-Battleground — and fell in love. After knowing each other virtually for three years, they decided to get married and live together. In May 2023, 27-year-old Seema, along with her four children, sneaked into India, and started living with Sachin in Rabupura, a village near Noida in western UP.

"I was impressed with his skills in the game which is why I initiated a conversation and we became friends. Soon, we exchanged phone numbers and started talking on WhatsApp and Instagram. We confessed our love in January 2021."

Seema to The Quint

While Seema was charged by the police for violating India's immigration laws, Sachin and his father Netrapal Meena were arrested for sheltering her.

The court ordered that as long as the case continues, Seema will not change her residence and will live with Sachin.