Daijiworld Media Network – Agartala

Agartala, Oct 13: A 65-year-old woman, suspected to be a Pakistani national involved in drug trafficking and an escapee from a Nepal jail, was arrested from the border town of Sabroom in South Tripura district, police said on Sunday.

Sabroom police officer Nityananda Sarkar said the woman, who identified herself as Louis Nighat Akhtar Bhano, was detained by the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Sabroom railway station and later handed over to the local police for questioning.

“It is suspected that she came with the intention of crossing over to Bangladesh. Police and other security agencies are interrogating her to gather more information about her movements and intentions,” Sarkar said.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Bhano had escaped from a jail in Nepal and may have Pakistani links, though her nationality is yet to be verified. She is reportedly the wife of Md Golaf Faraj, a resident of Sheikhupura in Pakistan.

According to police sources, Bhano entered Nepal around 12 years ago using a Pakistani passport and became involved in drug trafficking. In 2014, she was arrested by Nepal Police with 1 kg of brown sugar and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

She was serving her term at Kathmandu Jail until last month when she allegedly escaped during the widespread unrest in Nepal. In September 2025, the Himalayan nation witnessed mass jailbreaks amid violent anti-government protests, which saw over 13,000 inmates escape, several of whom were later caught attempting to flee into India.

The arrested woman will be produced before a local court, with police seeking custody to facilitate further interrogation, officials said.