Hasbulla was arrested for violating the terms of her refugee status.

In 2021, Hasbulla was arrested and detained by the government for violating the terms of her refugee status. She had been living in the UK since 2011 after fleeing her home country of Afghanistan, where she faced persecution for being a woman. After a brief stay in Italy, Hasbulla travelled to London with her brother and sought asylum at Heathrow airport. Although she had no official documentation at the time, she was allowed to stay as an asylum seeker.

As an asylum seeker, Hasbulla was given accommodation and £37 per week in cash benefits. However, Hasbulla struggled to live on this small amount of money and began selling sex to make ends meet.