In Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, a young woman from Jharkhand travelled 1020 kilometres alone to reach her boyfriend, switching five different trains along the way, all without a mobile phone. Once she arrived, Preeti married her boyfriend Dheeraj Arya at an Arya Samaj temple, but the couple says they are now receiving death threats after the wedding.
A connection made on social media, a year of conversations
Preeti, who is from Jharkhand, and Dheeraj Arya, who lives in Gwalior, first got to know each other through social media back in 2022. The two exchanged phone numbers and gradually started talking regularly. Those conversations continued for about a year, during which they fell in love. As talking turned into wanting to meet, Dheeraj travelled to Jharkhand and met Preeti in person. But Preeti's family stood firmly against the relationship. Their opposition brought the couple's conversations to a halt for a while after her family took away her mobile phone.
A second phone, then beatings from her family
After her phone was taken, Dheeraj arranged another mobile phone for Preeti, and the two started talking again. However, within days her family found out about this second phone as well. They began imposing restrictions on her and also beat her. Fed up with the restrictions and the beatings, Preeti made up her mind to leave, and she set out from Jharkhand for Gwalior alone, without any help and without a mobile phone.
Five trains, 1020 kilometres, and a house found without a phone
Determined to reach Dheeraj, Preeti covered a total distance of 1020 kilometres, changing five separate trains along the way. What made the journey even more remarkable was that she had no phone to guide her, yet she still managed to locate Dheeraj's house in Gwalior. Once she arrived, the couple lost no time and got married at an Arya Samaj temple.
Death threats after the wedding
After the marriage, Preeti and Dheeraj said her family is now threatening to kill them both. Rather than face the threats alone, the couple approached the SP office in Gwalior seeking police protection.
Preeti and Dheeraj recount their ordeal
Preeti said she and Dheeraj first connected through social media and slowly began liking each other. According to her, her family wanted to marry her off to another man, which is why she changed five trains to travel from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand to Gwalior and married Dheeraj at an Arya Samaj temple. Preeti said, "My family has now come to Gwalior, and they are threatening to kill both of us." She said that is why the couple is seeking police protection. Dheeraj Arya said his conversations with Preeti over social media had begun three years earlier. He works as a private teacher, earning his living by coaching children.
