Pakistani woman who escaped Nepal jail caught at Tripura railway station

A 50-year-old Pakistani woman, who allegedly escaped from a Nepalese prison where she was serving a sentence for drug trafficking, has been detained at Sabroom Railway Station in South Tripura.

Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel took the woman into custody after noticing her suspicious behaviour upon arrival by the Kanchanjunga Express, officials confirmed on October 12.

According to a senior Tripura Police officer, the woman initially identified herself as Saheena Parveen from Purani Basti, Delhi, but could not produce any valid identity documents. “During the search, several Pakistani contact numbers were recovered from her possession,” the officer said.

Investigators later learned that she was actually Louis Nighat Akhtar Bhano, wife of Md. Golaf Faraj, a resident of Village Younganabad, Chak No. 371, District Sheikhupura, Pakistan.

Police sources said Bhano had entered Nepal about 12 years ago using a Pakistani passport and became involved in drug trafficking. In 2014, she was arrested by Nepal Police with one kilogram of brown sugar and sentenced to 15 years in prison. She was held in Kathmandu Jail until last month, when she reportedly escaped amid unrest in Nepal.

“Approximately 15 to 16 days ago, she crossed into India through an illegal route,” the officer added. “She told us she sought help from agents who advised her to travel through Tripura or West Bengal to reach Bangladesh and then return to Pakistan.”

After failing to find a route in West Bengal, Bhano allegedly traveled by train to Tripura, planning to cross into Bangladesh from Sabroom.

The woman is currently in custody, and police have launched a detailed investigation into her movements and possible network in India.