Pakistan’s Hindu woman booked on for overstaying after her visa lapsed due to coronavirus lockdown: SP

A Pakistani Hindu woman married to an Indian here has been booked on charges of overstaying in the country after the expiry of her visa, police said on Thursday. Kangra Superintendent of Police Vimukt Ranjan said the FIR against Pakistani national Mena Gopal, a resident of Chari village near here, was registered under section 14 of the Foreigners Act at Shahpur Police Station near Dharamshala.

Gopal had come to India in 2013 and was married to a Chari resident in 2014, the SP said, adding she had been staying here along with her husband and children ever since then after getting her visa extended time to time, said the SP. But this time around, the SP said, her visa got lapsed on March 20 -- a day after the country observed ‘janata curfew’ on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call amid the coronavirus outbreak. The SP said the police registered the FIR against the woman after information from FRRO. The woman was, however, released on bail, he said, she will now have to travel to New Delhi to approach the Pakistan embassy there to get her travel documents cleared by them to secure visa from India.