A Pakistani die-hard fan, Umar Draz, of swashbuckling Indian batsman Virat Kohli has been arrested for hoisting the Indian tricolour atop his home in Okara district of Punjab Province. He hoisted the flag to show his love for the cricketer. The police raided his house on Tuesday.
“We raided the house of Umar Draz and seized the Indian flag from his rooftop,” Muhammad Jamil, a police official, said. He said the police arrested Draz and registered a case under the Maintenance of Public Order. He was presented in court the same day and was remanded into police custody.
“I am a big fan of Virat Kohli. I support the Indian team because of Kohli. Hoisting of Indian flag on the rooftop of house only shows my love for the Indian cricketer,” Draz said.
Draz said he had no idea that he committed a crime and urged authorities to pardon him. He said he should be seen as “an Indian cricketer’s fan and not as a spy”. Poster size photographs of Kohli were too found pasted on the walls of his house.