I RAN AWAY TO MARRY 'Missing' temple girl in love Phoolo Danny-Maharaj South Bureau Wednesday, January 14th 2009

Eighteen-year-old Rajdaye Dian Rampersad, who was at first reported missing from a temple in Point Fortin at the weekend, was yesterday enjoying wedded bliss with her husband Rikesh Ryan Ramjit, 27, the man who was accused of "kidnapping" her.

They were married about 70 hours after she was reported missing.

Relating her love affair with Ramjit, son of religious leader Rohan Ramjit of the Shiv-Shakti Mandir at Grant's Trace, Rousillac, Rampersad said: "I left my parents' home of my free will. I told my parents that we loved each other and wanted to get married, but they did not agree, because he was married before."

She added: "Nobody kidnapped me from Point Fortin. I walked out of the temple to Dam Road Junction and then I called my friends to pick me up. I did not talk to Ryan for 22 days. Only when they said I was kidnapped I called Baba (the pundit) to say where I was staying."

Rampersad's parents of Kanhai Road, Barrackpore, reported to police that she was taken out of the compound of the Dam Road Hindu temple in Point Fortin by two men on Friday morning. She denied the charge.

Slim, attractive and dressed in blue shalwar kameez (Indian outfit) with her centre hairline adorned with sindoor (vermilion), the mark of a married Hindu woman, Rampersad did not look threatened or brainwashed yesterday.

She openly admitted that she knew Ramjit for almost two years and they had a long-standing relationship, known to her mother. She said she had stayed a while at Ramjit's home before they "ran away" and that their "love for each other" was known to everyone they knew.

At the police station on Monday, Rampersad said: "The police asked me if I wanted to go with my parents or Baba and my husband and I chose to come with my husband."

They said they did not expect the marriage to be registered for another two weeks.

Rikesh Ramjit, who was divorced about 18 months ago, said: "On December 17, we ran away and went by a pundit to get married. When the pundit heard the name of my father, he refused to marry us without informing my parents."

Pundit Ramjit, and his wife Sookdaye, who have three other children, said they tried to talk to Rajdaye's parents about the couple's decision to get married "in order to save their lives, because they had threatened to commit suicide". The Rampersads, however, refused to listen, he said.

Rampersad's mother, Bissoondaye Mona Rampersad, said her daughter was "brainwashed" by people at the temple and that she was being held against her will.

The tearful mother said yesterday: "How would you feel that you cannot see or talk to your only child. They refused to let me talk to her. She was crying when I see she in the police station, but the man took her and walked out. I cannot eat or sleep since she disappeared."

Rampersad's father, Charan Rampersad, has called on the pundit to produce documents to prove that Rajdaye was "legally" married to Rikesh. "Where are the documents? We don't know where she staying, and they do not want us to talk to her. If I talk to my daughter and know that she is happy and that she was married legally, then we would be satisfied, but right now, I do not believe that."

Pundit Ramjit said he did not stop his new "daughter-in-law" from talking to her parents. "But because of all that happened with police coming and searching my home, disrupting my prayers and scaring my family and devotees, I would not allow them to come on my compound. They can talk to their daughter on the road."

Rampersad said she was willing to talk with her parents "only if they are willing to listen to me".

I must say, this actually reminded me of a situation which happened with my partner - Same thing the girls parent and siblings did not approve of their love and they were forced to take drastic action - run away and get married.

Mind you they were in their mid twenties when this happened - and oddly enough the girl was also from South. Also by mid day contact was made with the family and the girl's location was reveled. At the end of the day the young woman (yup people she's 18 and therefore a woman) is in her right to do exactly what she did.

However as an adult and i'm also throwing this one out for the groom since he is 27 and SHOULD have known better, they should have had made contact with the family the same day she walked out of the temple.

They would have had nothing to worry about as the parents would not have been able to force the police to bring her back home even then as she is an adult.

Also clearly the parents did have some idear as where they could have started looking and they could have gone about this without police involvement. Or was it their plan to involve the police in order to scare their daughter to return home and obey her parents??

My fellow Trinination people - we are living in times where crime is rampant. - By doing this you are making it more difficult for families of missing young girls/women to be able to get the police to immediately begin investigations as they will have no choice to play the wait and see game to see if the girl really missing or just simply shack up with some man. Both the girls parents and the love birds should be given some sort of very strict warning by the police for wasting Police time.