01-07-2025
Pakistani couple trying to enter India die of dehydration in desert, Jaisalmer police say
The decomposed bodies of a Pakistani couple were discovered in the desert near the Tanot Police Station area of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan on June 28. According to officials, the couple had tried to enter India illegally through the desert.
Jaisalmer Superintendent of Police Sudheer Chaudhary said that on Saturday, the Tanot Police Station received an information about two unidentified bodies found approximately 15 kilometers inside the Indian border. A police team rushed to the location and found the body of a man under a tree. He was dressed in a sky blue salwar-kurta and a yellow scarf and a mobile phone were recovered from the site.
About 50 feet away, the body of a woman was also found. She was wearing a yellow ghaghra-kurta and had red-and-white bangles on her wrists. Both bodies were lying face-down and appeared to have been dead for 8–10 days. Due to advanced decomposition, their bodies had turned black and their faces were unrecognizable. Initial investigations suggest the couple likely died of dehydration.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, on the instructions of SP Chaudhary, an FSL team, MOB team and Jaisalmer Circle Officer reached the spot. The teams conducted a detailed inspection, including photography and videography of the area and the bodies.
Two Pakistani national identity cards were recovered from the man's clothing. One identified him as Ravi Kumar (17), son of Dewan Jee, while the second identified the woman as Shanti Bai (15), daughter of Guloo Ji. Both cards mentioned 'Pakistan' and had Urdu text on the reverse side.
According to Dilip Singh Sodha, district coordinator of Hindu Pakistani Displaced Union and Border People's Organisation while talking to The Indian Express said that the organisation contacted a distant relative of the couple in India who told them, 'The man had some disagreement with his father. So, he left home with his wife. The couple were residents of Sindh province in Pakistan which is 60-kms from the Indian border. They had applied for an Indian visa around 1.5 years back but their visa was not approved. After the fight, the couple moved towards India as they knew it was their ultimate destination.'
'He wanted to live in India. He somehow entered Indian territory but unfortunately died in the hope of a better life,' said Sodha, who circulated the details of the ID cards on social media and came in contact with the boy's relatives in Jaisalmer, who confirmed his identity.
Hindu Pakistani Displaced Union is an advocacy group for the rights of Pakistani minority migrants in India.
Jaisalmer Circle officer Roop Singh Inda said that the police have sought information from the local foreigners registration office (FRO) in Jaisalmer on the boy's visa application.
'We have not received details about it so far,' Inda said. 'The matter is being investigated further,' he said.
Due to the advanced state of decomposition, the bodies can't be sent to Pakistan. Hence, the Hindu Pakistani Displaced Union will perform the cremation. The bodies have been kept at the Community Health Centre, Ramgarh mortuary after post-mortem. —With PTI inputs
