Kerala travel vlogger says she faced arrest threat over solo travel in Afghanistan

Backpacker Arunima, a Kerala woman who documents her travels online, posted that Afghan officials in Bamyan warned her of arrest because she was traveling without a man or guide, as required by local regulations. She recounted being stopped at night, asked for her passport and visa, and told she had broken the law. Earlier, she had been refused a permit in Jalalabad for traveling alone.

With the assistance of a man who had originally brought her to Bamyan, she managed to avoid detention and intends to head toward the Uzbekistan border, expecting further checkpoints. She described feeling extreme anxiety during the encounter and said she would continue to travel cautiously until she leaves the country. The report could not independently verify her claims and noted no official response from Afghan authorities.