Spanish police rescue woman from alleged marriage against her will in Pakistan

Two men, aged 41 and 45, were arrested at Barcelona Airport on 21 July on suspicion of human trafficking for the purpose of forced marriage, according to Europa Press.

The two men are also allegedly linked to an attempted murder in Barcelona in December 2025. The victim was the woman's partner, a man of Pakistani origin who owns a computer shop and was attacked with a knife, according to the Mossos.

He reported to the National Police that his partner had been forcibly taken to Pakistan by members of her family. Once there, he said, her Spanish passport was taken from her and she was forced to marry a cousin against her will.

Coordination between investigators and the Spanish Embassy in Pakistan helped locate and rescue the woman. National Police officers in Pakistan carried out the operation and arranged for her return to Spain, where she received comprehensive care and support from specialist services.

The woman began a relationship in 2023 with a man she had met in Barcelona the previous year. In June 2025, the couple held a religious ceremony to formalise their union, which her family did not accept.

According to investigators, members of her family subjected her to pressure and threats in an attempt to make her end the relationship and marry a cousin living in Pakistan.

The threats were also allegedly made against her partner through third parties.

In September 2025, a relative allegedly persuaded the woman to travel to Pakistan on the pretext that both families would accept the relationship and intervene to resolve the dispute.

She travelled to the country accompanied by an uncle, her father's brother. Once there, investigators believe her passport was taken from her and she was confined to a house under constant surveillance and severe restrictions.

She was also allegedly subjected to continued pressure and psychological abuse intended to make her end the relationship and abandon any plans to return to Spain.

The arranged marriage to her cousin eventually went ahead despite her opposition, before she was later rescued.

The investigation remains open to determine the extent of the involvement of the various people allegedly connected to the woman's confinement and forced marriage, as well as the attack on her partner.