Aligarh (UP), Apr 19 (PTI) After about 48 hours of interrogation and counselling, police in Aligarh have released a 39-year-old woman and her daughter’s fiance with whom she eloped recently, triggering a dramatic 10-day saga that shocked an entire village before culminating with their surrender on Wednesday.

Sapna Devi (39), a resident of Manoharpur village, and Rahul (25) were arrested on Wednesday evening when they surrendered at a local police station after being on the run for 10 days.

Both maintained that they were in a relationship and had decided to tie the knot, saying nothing could compel Sapna to return to her husband and children.

After the couple’s release on Friday night, SP Amrit Jain told reporters, “Both are adults and there is nothing in the law to compel them to change their mind. So we decided to release them.” Sapna’s husband Jitendra, their three children along with other family members and neighbours staged a protest at the Mandrak police station for the past two days, mounting pressure for her return.

Her family members told mediapersons that if she “expressed regret for her actions, we are prepared to forgive her and accept her back”.

They also said that if she didn’t relent, “she should be asked to return the jewellery and Rs 5 lakh she took with her while eloping.” Sapna, however, has denied this claim, calling it “completely concocted”.

A number of villagers from Manoharpur also alleged that Rahul was previously involved in similar “mischievous” activities.

The duo’s disappearance on April 6 sparked widespread outrage and speculation, particularly as it came barely 10 days before Sapna’s daughter’s scheduled marriage to Rahul from a neighbouring village.

After Sapna went ‘missing’, her panicked family members approached the police, only to discover that the groom-to-be was missing too.

At the time of their surrender, Sapna made it clear to the police that her relationship with Rahul was not a temporary affair but a committed one.

“It is not a short-term liaison. It’s a lifelong relationship,” she said.

According to police, the couple travelled to Sitamarhi in Bihar and then crossed over to Nepal before surrendering.

“As they sensed the noose tightening around their necks, the couple decided to return to Aligarh and surrender before the police,” a senior police officer said. PTI COR NAV ARI