In an incident that gives credence to the saying that love knows no borders, a boy and a girl from Pakistan crossed over the international border and illegally entered India through Gujarat’s Kutch district. The 16-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl, who are said to belong to Sindh Province of Pakistan, told the police they eloped from their village as the girl’s family was opposed to their relationship. Both hail from the Bhil indigenous ethnic group and thought it was best to cross over to India. The teens told police officials they are residents of a village in Islamkot taluka of Tharparkar district in Mirpur Khas Division of Sindh Province of Pakistan. Their village, they said, is very close to the border with India, which made them cross it and reach Ratanpar in Bhachau taluka of Kutch, before being apprehended by the police. The Indian side of the Indo-Pak border includes the hostile terrain of the Rann of Kutch, which is part of the Thar desert region. “Two persons (intruders) from Pakistan were apprehended near Ratanpar village after locals informed the police when they were spotted on the outskirts. They are saying they are minors but they don’t have any identification documents on them, so we will have to confirm using medical tests,” Kutch (East) Superintendent of Police Sagar Bagmar told The Indian Express. They are assumed to have crossed over the border and walked 35-40 km to Ratanpar sometime on October 7. The police learned about their presence early on October 8 after locals reported them. The Khadir police filed a diary entry about the incident and both were then moved to the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) in Kutch where illegal immigrants are detained.
