Landlord turns guardian angel for women who eloped
Residents of Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar and Rajasthan’s Bharatpur respectively, Radhika and Kalpana fled their homes in November 2014 as they did not believe their parents would approve of their relationship.
Traced two years after they had run away from their homes to live together, Radhika and Kalpana (name changed) are fighting a tough battle with their parents who want them separated. But during their two-year stay in Jaipur, the two young women had a “guardian angel” in the form of their landlord who risked his own relationship with his wife to ensure they could live together, say police.
Residents of Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar and Rajasthan’s Bharatpur respectively, Radhika and Kalpana fled their homes in November 2014 as they did not believe their parents would approve of their relationship.
Having landed jobs in Jaipur, they posed as sisters while looking out for a flat on rent. For the first few months they were able to pass off as sisters, but their landowner soon learnt the truth about their relationship.
“But that man was a sensitive person and he sympathised with them. He helped them in his own little ways, but that was not liked by his wife. That created friction between the two and it ended with the women being asked to vacate the house,” said a senior Delhi Police officer, who was investigating Radhika’s disappearance.
When the two women were struggling to find another accommodation, the landlord secretly decided to help them find a place. He stayed in touch with the women over phone to ensure they did not face any more trouble.
Back in Delhi, meanwhile, a police team under Swaroop Nagar SHO, Bharat Ram, recently began investigating some old kidnapping cases. When they looked into Radhika’s kidnapping case, they found she had changed her mobile phone number.
But police had the IMEI number of the phone she had continued using by inserting another SIM card in it. Among the people Radhika was found to be in contact with, one turned out to be her landlord. The police called him up early this week and compelled him to disclose everything about Radhika as a kidnapping case had been registered after her disappearance.
While the Delhi Police officers say their role in the case is almost over, some investigators said they would keep a watch on the lives of the two. “Radhika’s three brothers are very angry (with the developments). Though the two families have not used any force on the women, we will remain alert to ensure they are not under threat,” said a senior police officer.