Aligarh:

A 21-year-old man in Aligarh district has found himself behind bars in Pakistan due to a romantic relationship with a girl from across the border, officials here said.

The young man, identified as Badal Babu, was arrested on December 28 by Pakistani authorities in the Punjab province for illegally crossing into the neighbouring country without any legal documents, the officials said.

The shockwave from this unexpected incident reached Babu’s village through the media. His parents, who had believed their son was working in a factory in Delhi, were shocked to learn of his arrest through a report sourced from a Pakistani news portal.

Babu’s father, Kirpal Singh, who lives in Khitkari village under Barla police station area, told media that the family learned of their son’s arrest via social media.

“We couldn’t believe it. For us, till this moment we knew that he was working in Delhi, but the next moment we are shocked to discover that he’s in a Pakistani jail. It’s like something out of a movie,” he said, in disbelief.

The family has now appealed to the Indian government, particularly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to intervene and negotiate with Pakistan for Babu’s release.

“We want our son back and we don’t know how to bring him home. We are calling on the prime minister to help us,” Babu’s mother said, speaking to reporters.

“He was a simple boy. He never did anything like this before,” she added.

Aligarh Superintendent of Police (Rural) Amrit Jain confirmed that they had received a memorandum from the family and would be taking the matter up with the Ministry of External Affairs.

“We will approach the proper channels to provide whatever assistance is necessary and work towards establishing contact with Babu. Our primary goal is to secure his release from custody in Pakistan,” Jain said in a statement.

According to family sources, Babu was very active on Facebook, where he reportedly connected with a girl from Pakistan. After informing his parents that he would be heading to Delhi for work, Babu left his village after Raksha Bandhan in August.

Just before Diwali, his family received a video call on WhatsApp, in which Babu reassured them that he was safe, had found a job and was using a friend’s phone because he could not afford his own. His family later learned that Babu had somehow crossed the international border near Jammu, although these details remain unconfirmed, the sources said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Aligarh:

Children aged 14 and 8 – a boy and a girl – are among the five people who died of heart attack within 25 days in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh.

Mamata Chaudhary, of Arana village, used to go on a daily run as she was preparing for a physical test for a constable’s job in the state police. On November 23, while running in the morning, she suffered a heart attack and collapsed. She was 20. The doctors at the JN medical college said that she died of a heart attack.

“She had covered some 4-5 rounds of the ground. Thereafter, she collapsed on the ground,” said Jaykumar, Mamata’s brother.

Mohit Chaudhary, from Sirauli village, was a student of Class 6. The 14-year-old boy was preparing for the annual sports day competition. During a practice run on Friday, he suffered a heart attack and died soon after.

On Sunday, eight-year-old Diksha, a Lodhi Nagar resident, while playing with her friends suffered a heart attack and died.

Earlier on November 5, pediatrician Dr Lavnish Aggarwal went for his regular morning walk and returned home. As he was getting ready for work, he had a heart attack and died.

Twenty-nine-year-old Saiyad Barkat Haider died in his sleep on November 20. The reason: a massive heart attack.

“He slept at night and when I did not hear him snore, I checked up on him. I realised he is dead. The doctors said he died of a heart attack,” said Ahmad Mustafa Siddiqui, a cousin of Saiyad Barkat Haider.

A city cardiologist said that cases of heart attacks have increased since the pandemic.

“In the last two to three years after Covid, it has been seen that cases of heart attacks have increased among young people. Stress was a big factor in such patients,” said Dr Asar Kamal, Cardiologist, Kamal Heart Care Centre in Aligarh.

Aligarh’s Chief Medical Officer Neeraj Tyagi did not elaborate on the deaths but stressed on taking precautions.

Professor M Rabbani, of the Aligarh Muslim University, said deaths by cardiac arrest has increased by 22% over the last 20 years.

“If any healthy person dies within an hour, it is called sudden cardiac arrest. It has increased by 22 percent in the last 20 years. Mostly this reason is heart attack. However, some children have congenital heart disease. If it is not examined, further damage may occur. If a child complains of shortness of breath and chest pain, it should be examined immediately,” said professor M Rabbani, Aligarh Muslim University.

“The Indian Council of Medical research conducted a study. There was no increase in sudden cardiac arrest due to vaccination, according to the data. But those who were seriously affected by Covid, the chances of heart attack increases in them. Such people must get themselves screened, which consists of some minor tests,” the professor added.

(With inputs from Adnan Khan)
 

A woman was being blackmailed and threatened by a man who promised to marry her. They decided to talk and meet at a restaurant in the morning. A few minutes into the conversation, she pulled a bottle out from her bag, opened the cap and threw the liquid on his face. It was acid. The incident occurred in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh and the man reportedly suffered serious burn injuries.

“He was blackmailing me and asking for money that’s why I threw acid on him. I didn’t marry him and married someone else. I’m divorced…he told me he would marry me but he kept on threatening me,” the woman alleged.

The man, Vivek, suffered burn injuries to his arm. He removed his shirt and fled from the restaurant before the police could arrive. Meanwhile, the woman – a mother – has been taken into police custody and requested anonymity.

“We had just opened the restaurant. When they came, we were cleaning the restaurant. She was sitting outside and later came inside. Five minutes later, a man came to meet her. They ordered a dosa and chole bhature. They were talking and I went for breakfast. A man came running and said sir, please see what happened…I couldn’t understand what happened, and then the woman said, I threw acid on him,” the restaurant manager said.

The manager said, “She told me the man had been troubling me for years and blackmailing me for several years and that’s why I threw acid on him.”

The police said the woman also suffered burn injuries in the incident and medical treatment is being provided to her. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mayank Pathak, said, “The man and the woman knew each other and there were personal differences. The man is on the run.” Mr Pathak said it would be too early to comment on the woman’s claim that she was being blackmailed, the matter is under investigation and efforts are on to find the man.

– With inputs from Adnan Khan