Dutch man flies to Bengal to meet online friend, lands in police trouble instead

A Dutch national's bid to meet his friend in West Bengal he got acquainted with through social media met a miserable fate as not only was he not allowed to meet her, but he was briefly taken to the local police station in Nadia after locals filed a complaint against him for "suspicious" activity.

Henricks, who travelled all the way from Amsterdam in the Netherlands to Nadia in Bengal, said he felt "humiliated" and "disrespected" and vowed never to return to India.

He met a girl, not knowing she was a minor, through social media and their friendship grew so much so that Henrick decided to meet her and left Amsterdam for India last Sunday. However, despite his efforts, Henrick could not meet the girl and waited for her, roaming around in her area in Nadia's Tehatta for around five to six hours.

During this time, Henrick alleged that the locals faced him with unnecessary questions and harassment. "I felt humiliated and disrespectful and the people of Tehatta are merciless without any thought of consequences", Henricks said in an exclusive conversation with India Today.

The 37-year-old man took a flight from Amsterdam and landed at the Kolkata airport and reached Mayapur in Nadia district by road on Monday.

Soon after checking-in to the hotel in Mayapur, Henricks left for Tehatta by bus. He arrived near a high school in Tehatta while roaming aimlessly at around 11:30 am on Monday.

Since he did not have the girl's address, he wandered around the neighborhood and stood for hours in front of a high school waiting for the girl, and this is where the misunderstandings began.

Tehatta is a rural area in Nadia where foreigners are not usually seen. A source told India Today that after seeing a foreigner suspiciously roaming around the same area for about five to six hours, the locals grew suspicious and started questioning him. Some of them informed Tehatta police station.

"Meanwhile, the father of the minor girl also approached the local police seeking intervention into the matter as the foreigner had reached a location which was almost close to their address. So, local police had to intervene", an officer said.

Henricks was then taken to the Tehatta police station for questioning. Inspector Avijit Biswas, in-charge of the police station, questioned Henricks.

Police said that during the questioning, he produced all his documents and identity proofs, including his valid visa and passport. He also shared the purpose of his visit and showed the social media profile of the schoolgirl to the cops.

"During questioning nothing could be found suspicious. As a foreign national, we showed him full respect. But the father of the minor girl wasn't willing to allow him to meet his daughter, so we could also help him out as the girl is a minor. So, after clearing the verification process, we allowed him to leave with respect," said an official.

The Dutch citizen said he was devastated by such a humiliating experience. "I'm not looking for attention or any fame, I just wanted to meet my friend only. That's it. But it's ruined now. Thanks for everything. I will be leaving India tomorrow with no plans of returning here in the future any more," he told India Today.

"I didn't feel welcome here, I didn't feel respected. I felt humiliated, disrespected and, really, the people of Tehatta are merciless without any thought of consequences. They can ruin life instantly without even caring. If you treat all foreigners this way, good luck in the future. India will get nowhere. Thanks for your interview. But I didn't want to be a part of it," a visibly annoyed Henricks said in resentment.

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