Woman rescued from forced marriage in Pakistan, two men arrested in Spain

MADRID: A woman who was allegedly deceived into travelling to Pakistan and forced to marry a cousin has been rescued and returned to Spain, police said on Saturday.

Two men aged 41 and 45 were arrested at Barcelona airport on July 21 on suspicion of human trafficking for the purpose of forced marriage, Catalonia’s regional police said in a statement.

The woman travelled to Pakistan in September 2025 after a relative allegedly told her that her family had dropped its opposition to her relationship with a Pakistani national who owns a computer shop in Barcelona.

Once there, however, relatives allegedly confiscated her Spanish passport, confined her to a family home and arranged her marriage to a cousin despite her opposition.

Her partner reported to police in April that she had been forcibly taken to Pakistan by members of her family.

He had previously been attacked with a bladed weapon in Barcelona by two men allegedly linked to the case.

Spanish police, working with Spain’s embassy in Pakistan, subsequently located the woman and organised her rescue and return to Spain.

She was given specialist support after returning, police said.

The investigation remained open while police worked to identify all those involved in the alleged forced marriage and the attack on her partner.

Barcelona has a sizeable Pakistani community, with more than 26,000 Pakistani nationals registered in the city, making it the third-largest foreign nationality group after Italians and Colombians.