A US-based woman, who had landed here a fortnight ago to meet her Facebook friend, flew back home with her parents last evening.
Whitney Harris (22), a gym trainer in Maryland, had left for India to meet local youth Pulkit Monga (20) without taking her parents in the loop. The latter panicked after social media posts suggested that she might have fallen prey to human trafficking. They had arrived in the holy city a few days later and met Pulkit’s family.
Following the intervention of MLA Dr Raj Kumar Verka and the police, Whitney returned to the US with her family. She could not meet Pulkit before her departure as he had been detained by cops.
Pulkit, a student of Class XII, told The Tribune that negative propaganda about him on social media had played spoilsport. “Her passport was taken into possession by her parents, but her luggage and laptop are still with me,” he added.
He clarified that they had no immediate plans to get married. “She had come here to meet me and my family. We never wanted to bring a bad name to our families by taking an undesirable step. I will attain marriageable age (21) in April 2019,” he said.
Pulkit said, “I posted a message on her Facebook page and she called me up. She is committed to meeting me again,” he added.
Jeevan Jyot, a social worker who had helped trace Whitney, said, “I, too, received her message that she wanted to stay with Pulkit’s family for more time, but eventually did her parents’ bidding.”
Photo: The Tribune
