At the time of her disappearance a decade ago, an 18-year-old girl from Kerala was allegedly living with her boyfriend less than 500 metres from her family’s house. Sajitha (now 29) spent the last decade living in a room with her boyfriend Rehman in Ayalur village in Palakkad, while her family lost hope of ever finding her in a bizarre occurrence.

Per the authorities, Sajitha and Rehman eloped a decade earlier, but since Rehman couldn’t afford to rent a property, the pair chose to remain at his home to avoid drawing anyone’s attention to their relationship. Only after they had moved out of Rehman’s home and into a leased house in a neighbouring hamlet where they tracked down and apprehended.

Deepa Kumar, a house officer at the Nenmara Police Station, stated, “Their narrative seems strange, but we brought the couple to Rehman’s home, and they told us how Sajitha had been living quietly in a single room for all these years.”

Sajitha was able to escape via a breach in the wall created by Rehman.

The pair began living together in Rehman’s tiny room, which he kept tightly guarded by his friends and family. Rehman lived with his parents, sister, and nephew, but he cautioned them not to approach or go near his room since he was in the process of moving.

Over time, his family became more wary of Rehman, maybe because of his outbursts. They avoided going near the tiny chamber. Rehman was absent from work regularly and spent most of his time alone in his room. Every time he left the house, he would leave a package of food for Sajitha, who was always grateful.

Basheer, Rehman’s older brother, told the authorities that Rehman worked as a house painter and spent most of his time confined in his room. ‘He acted in ways that were consistent with a mentally ill individual, and when someone attempted to enter his room, he became aggressive.’ He would even bring his food inside the house to consume… Rahman and Sajitha would have the home to themselves throughout the day since everyone was at work,” he said.

Sajitha used to slip out of the chamber for a bath and sit outdoors for a bit at night, thanks to a tiny hole Rehman made in the wall. In addition, since most of the family members were gone for work daily, Sajitha went undetected throughout the day.

Sajitha kept herself amused while in the room by watching a tiny TV via headphones and listening to music.

During an interview, Sajitha told police that she would exit the room via a window and recounted every event that occurred in the home, including wedding festivities, guests, and their fascinating discussions over the course of the previous 11 years, to the officers.

The game of hide-and-seek has come to an end.

After Rehman went missing in March of this year, the 11-year game of hide-and-seek came to an end in June. As a result of a missing person complaint made by his family, a police search was launched for him, and he was eventually located by his brother at a police roadblock that had been put up as part of a Covid-related lockdown. Later, he revealed that he has been living with Sajith at an apartment they have shared since he disappeared. According to sources, Sajitha eventually left the home three months ago, and on the same day, Rehman got into a fight with his family members and stormed away. After that, the couple relocated to a neighbouring hamlet.

When Rehman was brought to the police station for additional questioning, he disclosed that he was living with Sajitha in a rented home nearby, which was later confirmed. A second investigation into the case resulted in the resolution of Sajitha’s disappearance, which occurred 11 years ago.

The pair was brought before the court when Rehman said that he had been terrified of his family objecting to Sajitha and had thus kept her concealed for eleven years. The court, on the other hand, permitted Sajitha to accompany Rehman.

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