A police operation to track down a woman who had been absconding for 13 years ended in an emotional family reunion, bringing her face to face with the two children she had been separated from for more than a decade.
VP Fathimabi*, 44, was arrested in Thiruvalla on Wednesday, October 21, after police traced her to the town, more than 400 kilometres from her native Cheemeni in Kasaragod district.
She had been on the run since obtaining bail in a 2013 case involving allegations that she assaulted her 12-year-old son.
However, the arrest, which was part of an effort to resolve long-pending cases involving absconding accused, resulted in an unexpected development when Fathimabi reunited with her now-adult children.
Investigators believe the case highlights how children can become caught in prolonged marital conflicts, sometimes losing contact with one parent as tensions between their parents escalate.
Police track down woman working as caregiver
Fathimabi, who adopted the name Amaya* after marrying Parameswaran*, was arrested while working as a caregiver for a 75-year-old woman recovering from a leg fracture in Thiruvalla.
According to Kanhangad Deputy Superintendent of Police MV Anilkumar, who led the operation, officers had been identifying and locating accused persons whose absence had prevented courts from proceeding with pending cases.
“The trail led us to a home-nursing agency in Ernakulam,” he said.
The agency had assigned Fathimabi to care for the elderly woman in Thiruvalla. When she was not on duty, she stayed at a working women’s hostel in Ernakulam.
Although she had been living under a different name, her official documents continued to carry the name Fathimabi, said civil police officer VV Ajayan, who participated in the operation.
Police said information available through a centralised software system helped investigators establish her whereabouts.
“Even when a person uses a SIM card registered in someone else’s name, linked transactions, including banking activity, can help investigators establish their whereabouts,” Anilkumar said.
Case dates back to marital dispute in 2013
The case originated when Fathimabi operated a tailoring shop in Kambalur, near Chittarikkal, in Kasaragod’s East Eleri panchayat.
In 2013, her 12-year-old son and his younger sister visited the shop. Police suspect their father had taken them there.
Later that day, the boy’s father approached Cheemeni police, accompanied by his son, and alleged that Fathimabi had assaulted the child.
Officers at Cheemeni initially declined to register a case, citing concerns about the complaint’s circumstances. According to an officer who was posted at the station at the time, police had intervened in a dispute between the couple two days earlier and helped them reach a settlement.
“We doubted the complaint because two days earlier, we had mediated a fight between the couple and brokered a truce,” the officer said.
The complaint was subsequently taken to Chittarikkal police, which had jurisdiction over the area where the tailoring shop was located.
Fathimabi was arrested and remanded in judicial custody after she was unable to arrange sureties. The case was registered under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, which deals with cruelty to a child and provides for a maximum prison term of three years.
“She spent a day in jail before her relatives came to her rescue,” Ajayan said.
After obtaining bail, Fathimabi disappeared and remained beyond the reach of investigators for the next 13 years.
Woman says circumstances forced her to leave
Fathimabi said her decision to leave Kasaragod was influenced by the legal case and the breakdown of her marriage.
“First, there was the case. Then, after he (her husband) entered into another relationship, there was no way I could continue living there,” she said.
Following her departure, Parameswaran remarried and their son continued living with him. Their daughter moved in with her paternal grandmother.
Fathimabi subsequently rebuilt her life away from her hometown, taking up work through a home-nursing agency. According to Ajayan, she used a SIM card but relied exclusively on WhatsApp calls to avoid being traced.
Reunion after more than a decade
Fathimabi’s arrest brought her into contact with her children for the first time in 13 years.
“As soon as we arrested her, we informed her children,” Ajayan said.
Her son, now 25, and her daughter, who are both married, were present at court when police produced their mother following her arrest.
The son, who is expecting his child to celebrate its first birthday next month, informed the court that he did not wish to pursue the complaint against his mother. An affidavit expressing his position was submitted through a lawyer, following which the court granted Fathimabi bail.
“The case has been posted for November 20, when it is expected to be disposed of,” Ajayan said.
The reunion also brought to light the emotional toll the prolonged family dispute had taken on the children. The daughter told police that the conflict between her parents had deprived both siblings of the affection and care they should have received from their parents.
‘Had I known it was this easy, I would have come home sooner’
After securing bail, Fathimabi spent time with both children, visiting her daughter before meeting her son.
“I came here yesterday, secured bail and went with my daughter. I stayed with her, and today the two of us went to see my son,” she said on Friday.
Despite the reunion, Fathimabi said she did not intend to settle with either of her children, explaining that both had established families of their own.
When contacted by Onmanorama on Friday night, she was waiting at Payyanur railway station to board a train back to Thiruvalla. Her daughter accompanied her.
“Both my children are married. They have their own families and lives. It wouldn’t be right for me to become a burden on them,” she said.
Her return to Thiruvalla meant resuming her work as a caregiver for the elderly woman who depended on her assistance.
Nevertheless, the reunion marked a significant change in her life after years of separation from her children.
“Now I know I have my children with me. But had I known it was this easy, I would have come home sooner,” she said.
