A 20-year-old engineering student from Maharashtra was caught by the Border Security Force (BSF) in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch after he tried to sneak into Pakistan to meet a girl he met and fell in love with on social media.

The boy, identified as Zishan Mohammad Siddiqui, hails from Maharashtra's Osmanabad town and resides in Khwajangar. Siddiqui was held by the BSF on Thursday night and later handed over to the local police. Police had issued an alert after a motorcycle with the Maharashtra registration number was found abandoned near Dholavira village in the Rann of Kutch on Thursday evening. The BSF later nabbed the man when he was found walking towards the border in a bid to enter Pakistan, a Kutch-East police reportedly stated. Due to the unavailability of public transport amid the coronavirus pandemic, Siddiqui apparently decided to go on his motorcycle to meet the girl on June 11. He went to Kutch on his motorcycle to cross the border and enter Pakistan, the official claimed. However, when his motorcycle got stuck in the sand, Siddiqui started to go on foot towards Pakistan.

After his disappearance, his family members had approached the Osmanabad city police station and lodged a missing person's complaint. Police launched a probe and Siddiqui's social media accounts were examined, in which it came to light that he has left home to meet the girl in Pakistan. Based on his mobile phone records, the cyber wing of the Osmanabad police traced his whereabouts. He was traced near Kutch and the details were shared with the Gujarat police, another official reportedly mentioned.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the BSF after the boy was caught, read, He wanted to go to Pakistan and had used Google Map for navigation. He was apprehended about 1.5 kms short of Indo-Pak international border when he was attempting to cross over to Pakistan. He was in a dehydrated state and revealed that he had gone unconscious for about two hours in the Rann.