Onijah Robinson has returned home to New York after “catfishing” a 19-year-old pen pal in Pakistan. Karachi police escorted Robinson to the airport on Friday and made sure she got on a plane bound for New York.
The term ‘catfish’ refers to a person who uses fake pictures and false information to trap another individual into a relationship.
Robinson, 33, arrived in Pakistan on October 11, 2024, after developing a relationship with Nidal Ahmed Memon online. She had hoped Memon would marry her, but he rejected her on sight. She then found herself stranded in Karachi when her tourist visa expired in November.
Memon told Robinson that his family would never accept her as his wife. He begged her to leave him alone, but Robinson persisted.
She reportedly camped outside Memon’s apartment in Karachi for nearly 30 hours. But the entire family vacated the house in the middle of the night.
Robinson refused to leave the country until the government paid her $5,000 a week in American dollars. She told reporters she needed around $100,000 USD “to help rebuild Karachi.”
“I want 20K up front, 5K-10K to stay here every week, and I want those demands from the government right away”, she said in videos on TikTok.
The police and social services admitted Robinson to a psychiatric ward at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. She was released after a brief stay for a psychological evaluation.
Her story generated great interest in America where she went viral on social media.
Robinson’s son, Jeremiah Andrew Robinson, confirmed his mother has mental health problems that were not adequately addressed in America’s mental health system.
“My mother traveled to Pakistan to meet a man and his family. She was supposed to return within two weeks, but she never came back,” Jeremiah said.
Jeremiah explained that he and his sibling made multiple attempts to convince their mother to return home, even purchasing a plane ticket for her, but she refused.
Robinson was previously arrested on a trespassing charge in South Carolina, according to online jail records.
