A 65-year-old woman from Pakistan, who had been living in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah for over three decades, was held by the UP Police after she was found contesting panchayat polls. According to a PTI report, she was presiding as interim head of a village panchayat since last year until authorities found out that she did not have Indian citizenship.

“Bano Begum was arrested and later produced before a local court of Etah which sent her to judicial custody on Friday,” Indian Express quoted station house officer, Jalesar police station, KP Singh, as saying.

KP Singh further added that she had been booked under the Foreigners’ Act.

Earlier in January, Bano resigned as interim panchayat chief in December after an investigation into a complaint against her by a villager, District Panchayati Raj Officer (DPRO) Alok Priyadarshi said.

Officials said though her long-term visa was found to be valid, she had managed to get Ration and Aadhaar cards by providing false information.

She had been elected the interim head of Gudau village in Jalesar tehsil of Etah in January 2020 following the death of incumbent Shahnaz Begum.

The DM said that Bano Begum had married Ashrat Ali almost 35 years ago but had not taken Indian citizenship.

She got her name registered illegally in the voter list in 1995, and then also got a ration card made in her name, officials said.

After getting an Aadhaar card, she got elected as a member of the village panchayat in 2015.