An American woman was arrested by police when she was allegedly trying to cross over to Nepal illegally through the Indo-Nepal border on Thursday night.

According to police, the woman, who was illegally staying in India for some time, was trying to cross over to Nepal when she was apprehended. Acting on a tip-off, a joint operation was launched by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Police and Immigration team in which Colleen Patrice Lynch (26) was arrested.

Nautanwa Circle Officer, Abha Singh said, “Lynch had been residing in India without proper authorisation for an extended period after her visa was invalidated.”

On Thursday, she was trying to flee to Nepal from India, using a counterfeit Aadhaar card. During the security check, the woman was stopped at Sunauli border. “Presently, she is in police custody. As the issue is sensitive, we are trying to check her background and the other details,” Singh said.

He added that upon searching Lynch, officials found a counterfeit Indian Aadhaar card and her expired American passport. Subsequently, a case was registered against her under sections 467 and 14 of the Foreigners Act.

During interrogation, Lynch said that she came to India from Switzerland and was en route to Nepal. Nautanwa confirmed that legal proceedings were underway to ensure the background of the arrested American woman.

The incident came shortly after an Uzbekistani woman was arrested on August 15 at the same Sonauli border point, attempting to cross over to Nepal using a forged Indian Aadhaar card.