Iconic ‘Afghan girl’ from famous photo has been arrested

It’s been 30 years since this picture captivated the world.

Sharbat Gula, the subject of an iconic photograph by journalist Steve McCurry, has been arrested after being accused of fraud.

According to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, Sharbat - who is now in her 40s - is reportedly being held in a jail in Peshawar in Pakistan over forgery of a Pakistani national identity card.

If convicted, she faces up to 14 years in prison.

Her brother-in-law Shahshad Khan says Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) reportedly raided her home.

“FIA along with security forces came, entered her house, searched all belongings and took important papers including $2,800,” he reveals.

He argued that she is a legal resident of the country, because she was married to his brother, Rahmat Khan, who was born in Pakistan, but died five years ago, leaving her with four children.

“Her children are not sleeping,” he says. “She is a poor widow. Her children need her and she needs justice.”

Sharbat became an unnamed celebrity after photographer Steve McCurry took a picture of her as a teenage refugee during the 1980s Soviet occupation and U.S.-backed mujahedeen insurgency against it.

The photograph became a symbol of the Middle Eastern country’s suffering and was featured on National Geographic magazine in 1985, with her penetrating green eyes reflecting both fear and strength.

She was later tracked down in 2001, after the Taliban regime fell the U.S. in 2001. She was living in Afghanistan but then later moved to Pakistan to be with her husband, her brother-in-law says.

RELATED: Wildlife photographer Jonathon Scott talks close call with a sea lion and how to get the perfect shot
RELATED: Kendall Jenner is stealing jobs from professional photographers

“We are doing everything we can to get the facts by contacting our colleagues and friends in the area,” Steve posted to Facebook.

“I am committed to doing anything and everything possible to provide legal and financial support for her and her family.

“I object to this action by the authorities in the strongest possible terms. She has suffered throughout her entire life, and her arrest is an egregious violation of her human rights.”

Want more celebrity, entertainment and lifestyle news? Follow Be on Facebook,Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram