Pakistani businessman stuck in Mumbai police custody for four months

A businessman from Karachi faced extraordinary difficulties during a trip to Nepal, where he was reportedly tortured. Subsequently, he illegally crossed into India and is currently detained by Mumbai police.

Nadir Karim Khan served a four-month sentence for illegal entry, but remains in police custody due to delays in documentation by the Pakistani High Commission in India, even after the commission verified his nationality.

Nadir, 65, a well-educated individual, graduated from Karachi and received his master's in business administration from Egypt. Aware of the legal consequences of illegal entry, he took the drastic step after facing severe mistreatment by Nepalese businessmen.

According to Nadir, he visited Nepal in November 2024 to attend an exhibition in Kathmandu where local businessmen bought his jackets worth Rs20.5 million but paid with bounce checks, prompting him to take legal action. When Nadir reported the case, he was tortured by the Nepalese businessmen, who seized his passport. The Nepalese government also fined him for overstaying.

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Mumbai police said Nadir decided to enter India via Nepal, traveling through the Sonauli border and reaching Delhi via Gorakhpur. The Pakistani Foreign Office, citing the Pakistani Commission’s records, confirmed that Indian police arrested him on April 12, 2024.

Nadir was sentenced to six months for illegal entry and residence. He was released on October 11, 2024, after completing his sentence, and the court ordered his deportation. However, senior police officers struggled to find a place to keep him until deportation without a passport or travel documents.

Nadir was shifted to the MRA police station in Mumbai, where he has been staying for four months. The police have approached the Ministry of External Affairs and the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi regarding his case.

Read: Pakistan blacklists over 50,000 passports to combat illegal migration

Nadir shared his worst experience in Nepal, saying, "I have travelled to several countries because of business. But I have never encountered a situation like this." He last spoke to his family in Karachi on November 12, 2024, and has been unable to contact them due to legal obstacles.

Police officials described Nadir's emotional state, saying, "We often see him looking at his phone. On its screen are pictures of his wife and two children, and he often starts crying while looking at the pictures."

Nadir's son, Sufyan, who lives in Karachi, said his father remarried about a decade ago, after which his mother divorced Nadir.

Sufyan stated that he hadn't had contact with his father for a long time but was shocked to hear from him last year, saying he was in India. Nadir asked Sufyan to confirm his details with the embassy, but Sufyan claims no Pakistani or Indian officials have contacted him.