Keralite vlogger says Afghan authorities threatened arrest over solo travel without male companion

A Keralite travel vlogger who sparked concern after claiming she had been “arrested” by “Mujahideen” in Afghanistan’s Bamyan has clarified that she was not ultimately arrested, but said local authorities threatened to detain her for travelling alone without a male companion or the required permits.

In a detailed clarification posted after her initial social media message, the vlogger, known as Backpacker Arunima, said she was travelling alone in Afghanistan when she reached Bamyan in the evening after taking a lift in a lorry.

She said it was around 7 pm and already dark when she arrived, prompting local residents to approach her because women are not permitted to travel alone at night in the country. She said they checked her passport and visa and asked where she planned to stay.

According to her account, an English-speaking man later arrived and took her to a hotel, where she found the room too expensive. She said she asked if she could pitch her tent somewhere instead, but was taken to another location. After being shown a place to put up her tent, she was offered a vacant room because of the cold weather, which she accepted.

She said two people later approached her while she was charging her phone and communicated with her using Google Translate. They asked where she had come from and demanded to see her permit.