A man in Karala's Palakkad hid his lover inside a single room for the last 10 years (Representational)
Captivity of a woman by her lover cannot be justified at any cost, Kerala Women's Commission chairperson MC Josephine said on Tuesday, describing as "unbelievabale" and "mysterious", a man hiding his lover inside his single room for the last 10 years.
However, the couple - Rahman and Sajitha - have not admitted to having any issues in life and said they wanted to live the rest of their life peacefully, she said after visiting them in Kerala's Palakkad.
The chairperson also said police did not show much seriousness in tracing the woman when her parents had filed a missing complaint 10 years ago.
Besides Josephine, the panel members, including Shahida Kamal and Shiji Sivaji, visited the couple at their rented house in Palakkad and recorded their statements.
The Women's Commission had last week registered a case on its own in the incident, saying that locking up a woman in a room where there was no facility even to meet her primary needs was a gross violation of human rights.
"A woman was made captive for the last 10 years. It cannot be justified at any cost, no matter the facilities offered. But they are claiming that they are happy," Ms Josephine told reporters after meeting the couple.
On registering the case over the incident, she said the Commission had considered the plight of a woman who had to wait till nightfall to meet even her basic needs.
The police should have been more vigilant while probing Sajitha's missing complaint, she added.
There is nothing wrong for an adult man and woman to love each other and live together, the other panel members said. But the way chosen by Mr Rahman for this would give society a wrong message and so it should not be glorified, they added.
Earlier, Mr Rahman and Ms Sajitha told the Commission members that they had to hide the matter from others, fearing the wrath of the family and society.
According to the police, the woman was looked after by the man during her 10-year-long stay in a room at his house in Karakkattuparamb.
No bathroom was attached to the room, they said, adding that the woman reportedly used to get out of the room at night through its window, which was found closed during day time.
The matter came to light following the investigation into the disappearance of her lover from his home three months ago, police said. The woman had also gone with him, they said.
Both the woman and the man were traced last week at a rented house in Vithanassery, a small village near Nemmara and were produced before a court.
The woman was allowed to go with her lover after she informed the court they have decided to live together, police said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)