Love knows no barriers, least of all borders. A smitten Maharashtra youth was apprehended by the Border Security Force (BSF) from near the Pakistan border in Gujarat when he was trying to cross over into the neighbouring country to meet his sweetheart, an official said here on Friday.

Zishan M. Salimuddin Siddiqui, 20, hailing from Maharashtra's Osmanabad, had been reported missing by his parents some time ago.

The Maharashtra Police routinely informed the police in Kutch region's Balasar, his native place in Gujarat, and they, in turn, alerted the BSF.

Using technological means, the police managed to zero in on Siddiqui's mobile location which was near Dholavira village in Kutch, and informed the BSF.

The BSF troopers also recovered a black motorcycle bearing a Maharashtra registration licence plate which he used to travel to his native place and later abandoned before the India-Pakistan border area.

Siddiqui was found by the BSF in the border area in a highly dehydrated state, along with different identification papers like PAN card, Aadhaar card, an ATM card and his mobile.

He told the BSF that he had fallen love with a Pakistani girl (Samra), living in Shah Faisal Town near Karachi with whom he had come in contact via Facebook.

He further claimed that he was going to meet her in Pakistan and took help of Google Maps for navigation, but had fallen unconscious for a couple of hours in the desert, before he was apprehended, barely 1.5 km away from the border in the Rann of Kutch.

"The youth has been handed over to the Gujarat Police for further investigations and verification of his story," said a Maharashtra Police official, but no further details were given.(IANS)