Mossos and the National Police have freed a woman residing in Barcelona in Pakistan, whom her family allegedly detained and forced to marry. Two men have been arrested in Barcelona for human trafficking.
The operation culminated in the arrest at Barcelona Airport on 21 July of two men aged 41 and 45 accused of human trafficking for the purpose of forced marriage. The arrested individuals are also believed to be linked to an attempted homicide that occurred in December 2025 in the city against the victim's partner.
The investigation began when the woman's partner, a Pakistani man who owns a computer shop, reported to the National Police that his partner had been forcibly taken to Pakistan. According to his account, once there, her Spanish passport was taken away, and she was forced to marry a cousin against her will.
The events date back to 2023, when the victim began a relationship with a man she had met in Barcelona the previous year. In June 2025, the couple formalised a religious union that the woman's family did not accept. From that point on, according to the Mossos, the family environment exerted pressure and threats for her to break the bond, intending to impose a marriage with a cousin residing in Pakistan. The threats also extended to the partner through third parties.
In September 2025, a relative allegedly convinced the woman to travel to Pakistan on the premise that both families would accept the union and intervene to resolve the conflict. She travelled to the country accompanied by an uncle, her father's brother. Once there, her passport was taken away, she was locked in a home, and subjected to constant surveillance with severe restrictions, as well as ongoing pressure and psychological abuse to renounce her relationship and return to Spain. The arranged marriage with her cousin was ultimately imposed despite her opposition.
The coordination of investigators with the Embassy of Spain in Pakistan allowed for the location and rescue of the woman. Agents of the National Police in the country carried out the necessary procedures for her repatriation to Spain, where she received care and comprehensive assistance from specialized services.
The investigation remains open to determine the degree of involvement of the various individuals implicated both in the detention and forced marriage and in the knife attack against the partner, who was attacked in December 2025 in Barcelona. The two arrested individuals were placed at the disposal of the judiciary.
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