A Girl Hid in Her Boyfriend’s Room For Freaking Ten Years
This will leave you scratching your head
How far are you willing to go for love?
Whatever be your answer, it would be difficult to surpass what Sajitha had done for her love.
To live a life with her romantic partner-Rahman, Sajitha literally caged herself for a decade. She spent ten years of her life in a miserable dingy room with her boyfriend. The saddest part is that the room had no attached toilet!
Yes, you heard that right.
All of this happened while Rahman’s father, mother, and siblings lived under the same roof. And yet, they were clueless about what Rahman was conjuring. Also, this ain’t a big pomp house with acres of space to hide a human being.
The whole episode was revealed on June 9, 2021.
Now, let’s look at the backstory.
The backstory
This bizarre incident happened in Nenmara, a place in Kerala- the southernmost state of India.
Rahman, an electrician by profession, was in love with his neighbor Sajitha.
Unfortunately, in this part of the world, arranged marriages are still the norm. Rahman and Sajitha, for several reasons, are a non-compatible match for society.
The caste, religion, and possibly financial status were mismatched, and that’s an ominous sign for a loving couple here. It means they won’t live peacefully.
That’s totally a cultural shit you won’t get if you hail from the west. But, thankfully I have already written an article on the same. Do check it out.
So figuring out that a life together is elusive, Sajitha chose to smuggle herself secretly into Rahman’s house. This happened in February 2010 when Rahman was 24 and Sajitha was 18.
A missing case was soon filed to find Sajitha, but the investigation reached nowhere. The force went about searching the girl everywhere while she was hiding in her neighborhood.
The horrendous life in the room
The media has amply sugar-coated the whole incident as an epitome of spiritual love. Be that as it may, I cannot mince words to describe the state of her living in that room.
It was terrible.
To start with, the room had no attached bathroom. How the girl did her business during the daytime is a secret that I would rather not want to know. It is said that during the nighttime, she sneaked out of the room and accessed the bathroom.
I still can’t figure out how she survived her days of menstruation.
To make sure that nobody entered his room during his absence, Rahman created a clever electric circuit attached to the door handle. Whoever touched that handle suffered from a mild electric shock. That would deter the intruder from trying further.
He also created an alternative path for the girl to sneak out of the room- by removing a windowpane.
Rahman ensured that Sajitha was getting enough food. To his fortune, the girl did not suffer from a serious ailment that warranted a hospital admission during these ten years. If it did, I don’t know how he would have managed that.
Despite pulling all tricks to conceal his secret, Rahman’s peace of mind was getting shattered.
Every day he came home angry, venting his frustration at the family and charging into his bedroom. He then played TV in high volume so that he could talk with his girlfriend. The TV noise drowned their chit-chat.
Rahman’s family members were perplexed at his antics. They figured Rahman was possessed by some witch and duly took him to an exorcist. We don’t know what happened there, but I am sure the exorcist ‘successfully’ drove the witch away with some expensive ritual.
Rahman was twice made to drink some potion by the exorcist, and he puked.
The things you have to do for love!
How the cat got out of the bag
With so much preparation and nifty tricks, how did this secret get out?
Here is how it happened.
Rahman left his home in March 2021 for a new job. Needless to say, he had to take Sajitha with him. The young man somehow managed to smuggle his love out of the room- letting her see the outside world in ten years!
Remember, Rahman is now 34 and Sajitha 28.
The duo happily settled in a rented house at a place called Vithinassery. Sanity was finally restored. They were now living like normal human beings. Sajitha could stretch her arms and access the bathroom at will-luxuries that deserted her for a decade.
But Rahman, after leaving his home, maintained no contact with his family. After all, Rahman’s conviction about his own family is what drove him to these crazy ideas. If he believed that his family would extend a warm heart to the girl, Sajitha would have lived like a normal human for ten years.
To make matters worse, Rahman was now oppressed and insulted by the family’s ‘witch theories.’ So for him, it was quite an escape from the troubled family. He happily snapped all connections with his siblings and parents.
When he was gone for days, his relatives grew tense and approached the police station to file a complaint. Once again, the police search bore no fruit.
Just when all hopes were lost for the family, Rahman’s brother had a serendipitous moment. Out of the blue, he saw Rahman at Nenmara.
The brother soon informed the Police. In the search that ensued, the officers found Rahman and his new hideout.
The couple then explained their incredible tale of decade-long hiding to the Police. And that’s how we have information about the incident.
The lovers were soon produced at the local court.
Whatever be the cultural taboos here, the law does protect the interest of the parties involved in an affair. Sajitha expressed her interest in living with Rahman, and that was it. The couple was allowed to live together.
The controversies
The bizarre love story of Rahman and Sajitha created quite an uproar in the public sphere of Kerala.
In the past, there have been reports of forced religious conversions in Kerala. The right hardliners call this trend ‘Love Jihad’- a Muslim man loving a Christian or Hindu girl and converting her to Islam.
Sajitha entered into the hideout as a Hindu and came out as a Muslim ten years later. So, a section of people claims this as an instance of Love Jihad.
The other controversy is regarding the age of Sajitha. There are whispers on social media that Sajitha had not crossed 18 when she went to live with Rahman. 18 is the minimum legal age required to be married in India.
The discussions on social media are dominated by people who still can’t believe this story. There are questions like “didn’t she even cough or sneeze once in ten years,” “didn’t people notice when Rahman bought women dresses and sanitary pads,” etc.
One cannot blame people for coming up with such conjectures.
The construction of the house and its total living area is quite modest. Some say that the entire roof tiles of the house were changed some years ago. If it did, how Sajitha managed not to be found then is another mystery unsolved.
My take on the issue
Perhaps it’s unfair to judge this issue from my vantage point. None of us can ever know the complexities of the problems they faced.
But I have to say that the couple should have shown better spine- than hiding in a house for a decade.
It’s all very poetic to dub the incident as an instance of exceptional love and commitment. Still, there is no turning away from the harsh reality of a caged living.
I cannot even imagine living in a space like that for ten years.
While we were all complaining about the lockdowns and forced indoor living, there was Sajitha, living the harshest quarantine ever.
Anyway, it’s all over now. They have started a new life. I hope the couple finds peace and love in their journey from now on.
For more information regarding this incident, do check out the following links: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2021/jun/10/shocking-kerala-man-hid-lover-in-his-room-for-10-years-no-one-in-family-had-clue-2314020.html
