Kerala mother reunites with children after 13 years apart: How a 2013 case led to their reunion

Kasaragod: A 44-year-old woman who had been separated from her two children for 13 years reunited with them after being arrested in connection with a case registered in 2013 for allegedly assaulting her minor son, police said on Sunday.

The woman, a native of Cheemeni in Kasaragod district, was arrested by Chittarikkal police in Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta district, on October 21. She had been absconding after securing bail in the case.

The arrest, part of a police drive to trace accused persons in long-pending cases, brought the woman face to face with her now-grown children when she was produced before a court.
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Case registered after complaint by son

The woman had been living with her husband and their two children in Cheemeni and ran a tailoring shop at Kambalur near Chittarikkal.

In 2013, her 12-year-old son, accompanied by his father, approached the police with a complaint alleging that she had assaulted him at the shop.

The case was registered under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, which deals with cruelty to a child. The woman was arrested and remanded in judicial custody before securing bail. She then went into hiding and lived in different parts of Kerala.

During this period, her husband remarried. Their son continued to live with his father, while their daughter was raised by her paternal grandmother.
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Police trace woman working as caregiver

Investigators eventually traced the woman to Thiruvalla through a home-nursing agency in Ernakulam. She had been working as a caregiver for an elderly woman there.

According to police, she had changed her name after leaving her family. Between caregiving assignments, she stayed at a working women's hostel in Ernakulam.

Police said a centralised software system that brought together information from different interactions helped investigators establish her whereabouts.

Court grants bail after son withdraws complaint

The woman's son, now 25, and her daughter were present at court when she was brought there following her arrest. Both are now married.

The son, who had filed the original complaint, told the court that he did not wish to pursue the case. An affidavit to that effect was submitted through a lawyer, following which the court granted the woman bail, police said.

The children have since expressed a desire for their mother to return. Police said they now claim that the complaint in 2013 was lodged at their father's direction.

The woman spent two days with her children after her release before returning to Thiruvalla to continue caring for the elderly woman. She has said she hopes to live with her children permanently after arranging alternative care for her employer and completing the remaining court formalities.

The case has been posted for further consideration on November 20, when it is expected to be disposed of, according to the investigating officer.

(With PTI inputs)