‘I am safe now’: Keralite vlogger, who claimed arrest by Mujahideen, says she escaped arrest threat in Afghanistan

“According to the law of this country, a woman cannot travel alone,” ‘Backpacker Arunima’ said

A Keralite woman travel vlogger, who had earlier claimed that she was arrested by the “Mujahideen” in Afghanistan, said she is safe now after claiming that the local authorities threatened to arrest her in Bamyan because of the country’s law that women cannot travel without a male companion or guide.

“According to the law of this country, a woman cannot travel alone,” ‘Backpacker Arunima’ said, adding that she had earlier been denied a permit in Jalalabad because she was travelling alone.

However, in her latest post from Afghanistan, she wrote, “I am safe now” without providing any details.

Arrest threat in Afghanistan

According to the vlogger, the authorities in Bamyan told her that she had violated the law and would be arrested.

Recounting the incident in her social media post, Arunima said she arrived in Bamyan around 7 pm and was questioned about her passport, visa, and permit.

In a Facebook post, Arunima wrote: “This evening, I hitchhiked on a truck and came to a place called Bamyan. By the time I reached here, it was around 7 PM and already dark. The moment I got out of the vehicle, people here started coming towards me because, according to the rules here, a woman would not normally be outside alone at night.”

Detailing the alleged incident, Arunima said she was extremely frightened after being told that she had violated the law and faced immediate arrest. Therefore, the vlogger said, she contacted the English-speaking local man who had earlier helped her reach Bamyan, and he spoke to the authorities on her behalf.

According to her account, the authorities insisted that she pay a 10,000 Afghani fine, obtain a permit and travel with an official guide. She said she was eventually allowed to proceed towards the next country after discussions.

"My ‘crime’ was simply that I had travelled alone as a woman in a country where women are not allowed to travel alone", the travel vlogger said, adding that she planned to travel around 500 kilometres towards the Uzbekistan border and expected to encounter several checkpoints on the way.

Arunima said she was extremely frightened and feared something might happen to her, so she posted an Instagram story hoping someone would come to her rescue.

Arrested by Mujahideen

In an earlier post, Arunima had sought help to contact the Indian embassy, saying, “I am in trouble in Afghanistan. I am in Bamyan.”

In the post, she had also shared what she described as a translation of an official communication from local authorities, according to which she had been arrested by the “Mujahideen”.

The veracity of the post could not be ascertained, and there was no immediate reaction from the Ministry of External Affairs.

The post did not provide further details about the circumstances of her alleged arrest or say who had detained her.

Arunima has been travelling in Afghanistan and has posted several videos on her social media pages.

(With agency inputs)

About the Author

Arshdeep Kaur is a Senior Content Producer at Mint, where she reports and edits across national and international politics, business and culture‑adjacent trending stories for digital audience. With five years in the newsroom, she strives to balance the speed and rigor of fast‑moving news cycles and longer, context‑rich explainers. <br><br> Before joining LiveMint, Arshdeep served as a Senior Sub‑Editor at Business Standard and earlier as a Sub‑Editor at Asian News International (ANI). Her experience spans live news flows, enterprise features, and multi‑platform packaging. <br><br> At Mint, she regularly writes explainers, quick takes, and visuals‑led stories that are optimized for search and social, while maintaining the publication’s standards for accuracy and clarity. She collaborates closely with editors and the audience team to frame angles that resonate with readers in India and abroad, and to translate complex developments into accessible, high‑impact journalism. <br><br> Arshdeep's academic training underpins her interest towards policy and markets. She earned an MA in Economics from Panjab University and holds a Post‑Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute (ITMI). This blend of economics and broadcast storytelling informs her coverage of public policy, elections, macro themes, and the consumer‑internet zeitgeist. <br><br> Arshdeep is based in New Delhi, where she tracks breaking developments and longer‑horizon storylines that shape public discourse.

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