Jaisalmer: A Pakistani couple, Ravi Kumar (17) and Shanti Bai (15), who had recently crossed the India-Pakistan border, died of thirst and dehydration, Jaisalmer Superintendent of Police Sudhir Chaudhary said. Their bodies were found in the Thar Desert. In a photo from the scene, an empty jerrycan is placed on Ravi's face, indicating his agony before his death.
Ravi and Shanti were married four months ago in Mirpur Mathelo in Ghotki district of Pakistan's Sindh province. They had decided to come to India expecting a safer and better life, for which they had applied for visas. But due to the deteriorating relations between India and Pakistan, their visa applications were rejected. However, they had decided to go to India and had crossed the border illegally.
Ravi and Shanti crossed the border a week ago despite their parents' objections. But they got lost in the Bhibhia desert and died due to lack of water. An empty jerrycan of water brought from Pakistan was found with them. On Sunday, a medical board conducted a post-mortem on their bodies.
Dilip Singh Sodha, district coordinator of the Hindu Pakistani Refugee Alliance and Border People's Organisation, said that if the Indian government returns the bodies, their relatives in Jaisalmer are ready to accept them. If the bodies are not sent to Pakistan, the relatives are ready to perform the last rites according to Hindu customs.