In a dramatic cross-border development, the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Sabroom Railway Station in South Tripura district have detained a 50-year-old Pakistani woman who allegedly escaped from a prison in Nepal, where she had been serving a sentence for drug trafficking.

According to a senior Tripura Police official on condition of anonymity said, the woman was apprehended yesterday after being found loitering suspiciously at the railway station upon arrival on the Kanchanjunga Express.

“The woman, who speaks Hindi, initially identified herself as Saheena Parveen from Purani Basti, Delhi, but was unable to produce any valid identification documents,” the official said. “During a search, several Pakistani contact numbers were recovered from her possession.”

Preliminary questioning revealed that she had claimed to be a Pakistani national from Punjab province who entered Bangladesh three years ago, before illegally crossing into India through West Bengal with the help of an agent. She also stated that she had been working as a domestic help in Delhi and was attempting to return to Pakistan via Bangladesh.

However, during extended interrogation, the woman reportedly confessed that her earlier statements were false.

“She later disclosed her real identity as Louis Nighat Akhtar Bhano, wife of Md. Golaf Faraj, a resident of Village Younganabad, Chak No. 371, District Sheikhupura, Pakistan,” the official said.

Police sources further revealed that Bhano had traveled to Nepal about 12 years ago using a Pakistani passport to engage in drug trafficking activities. In 2014, she was arrested by Nepal Police for possessing one kilogram of brown sugar and sentenced to 15 years in prison. She had been lodged in Kathmandu Jail until last month, when she allegedly escaped amid unrest in the country.

“About two weeks ago, she reportedly entered India through an illegal route. After receiving guidance from agents, she attempted to reach Bangladesh via Tripura or West Bengal to return to Pakistan,” the official added.

When she failed to find a crossing route in West Bengal, Bhano is believed to have traveled to Tripura by train, arriving in Sabroom in an attempt to cross the international border into Bangladesh.

The woman is currently in police custody, and further interrogation is underway to verify her claims and establish possible links with cross-border networks.