Meanwhile, there had been efforts to separate the lovers, with her family picking up blots in Baiju’s character. According to the police, Baiju had been involved in the abduction of a minor girl in the past, but escaped clutches of the law after she failed to identify him. Another charge against Baiju had been that he had worked as the recovery agent for financiers.

The affair unfolded before public when a gang attacked the house of Baiju’s uncle Mani Madhavan at Mundakkayam, where the couple had been staying. The gang took away Anooja, after injuring Madhavan. Baiju, who escaped unhurt in the attack, filed a Habeas Corpus in the Kerala High Court.

Meanwhile, the Kottayam police got an e-mail message, reportedly from Anooja, which said the girl was safe with her family in Melbourne and that she had not been abducted. As the lovers got separated between far flung nations, the saga slowly slipped into oblivion. However, the couple had been in touch with each other since then and planning a reunion.

On Thursday, as Anooja landed at the Kochi airport, police took her into custody and produced her before the High Court as the Habeas Corpus was still pending. The court, however, allowed her to go with Baiju, as both had legally registered their marriage.

On reaching the airport, Anooja told the media that the gang which abducted her was hired by her mother. “I could not resist the unexpected abduction. I was taken to Australia via Chennai. I was under illegal custody of my parents in Australia. That country’s law, which does not allow illegal custody of adults, helped me escape,” she said, adding that Baiju, too, helped return by crediting in her account the required money for her air fare.

... contd.