Pakistan arrests Russian seeking bride in Chitral

Chitral: A Russian national who went to Pakistan in search of a wife has been arrested and is being questioned by intelligence agencies, officials said Saturday.

Apelgans Viacheslov, a 28-year-old from Moscow, had put up posters in the northern district of Chitral advertising his dream of marrying a local woman and offering a one million rupees ($9,550) reward to anybody who could help him achieve it, district police chief Asif Iqbal said.

"The Russian national had embraced Islam for his dream and his new name is Turud Ali," he told AFP, saying the poster featured a picture of the Russian and the address of the hotel he was staying at.

The Russian was arrested for failing to register with Chitral police station, as foreigners are required to do for security reasons when visiting the area, Iqbal said.

A local security official confirmed the arrest.

"He said he wants to marry a local woman and settle here," the security official told AFP, asking not to be named.

He said a joint investigation team of the police and intelligence agencies has been formed to investigate the Russian.

The security official said the man also visited Chitral last December.

Officials did not say why intelligence agencies were questioning him.

Chitral, a remote district bordering Afghanistan, is a tourist hotspot famous for its landscape and for being home to the Kalash people, an animistic tribe and Pakistan's smallest religious minority.