Two British citizens who allegedly crossed into the country from Nepal without valid visas have been arrested. The detentions took place amid heightened security checks at the Rupaidiha border in Uttar Pradesh following the recent car explosion in Delhi that killed 13 people earlier this month.
The two Britons, both audiology specialists working on a medical mission in Nepal, were detained on Saturday by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and local police after they walked across the border and were intercepted soon after, said Ganga Singh Udawat, commandant of the SSB’s 42nd Battalion.
Doctors Had Travelled To Nepalgunj
They had travelled to Nepalgunj, a city close to the Indian border, on the invitation of a local hospital. Neil Weir, founder of Brinos, said the pair had left their team during free time to visit the frontier.
He told The Times, “it was pure curiosity” that prompted them to go near the border. “They initially intended to look at the border from the Nepalese side,” he said, adding that Dr Olivia had been “keen to put a foot in India” despite warnings from Nepalese authorities not to cross.
While the India-Nepal border allows free movement for citizens of the two countries, foreign nationals must carry valid visas for both.
“During scrutiny of their documents, it was found that both were British nationals and did not possess valid Indian visas,” Udawat told PTI. “They failed to provide a satisfactory reason for their entry into India. They have been handed over to the Rupaideha police for further action.”
The individuals were identified as Dr Hassan Amman Saleem, 35, a British citizen of Pakistani origin residing in Manchester, and Dr Sumitra Shakeel Olivia, 61, originally from Udupi, Karnataka, and now based in Gloucester, PTI reported.
Doctor Called Nepal Trip Eye-Opening
Dr Saleem, a technical audiology instructor at De Montfort University, recently described his Nepal trip as “eye-opening” in a LinkedIn post highlighting the pressures on local healthcare services, according to The Telegraph. Dr Olivia is a clinical lead in paediatric audiology at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.
Indian officials said Dr Olivia does not hold an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, a long-term visa facility for people of Indian origin, and therefore requires a regular visa to enter India despite having family in the country.
