A 20-year-old girl’s dash across the country to marry the one she loves ended in heartbreak at Calcutta airport on Monday, when she was detained for stealing cash and jewellery from her Port Blair home. Her father had filed the complaint against her.

Police said he had probably accused Roshni (name changed) of stealing Rs 1 lakh and jewellery from their home to stop her from marrying her lover.

The management student was in love with a 25-year-old contractor of Shipping Corporation of India, also based in Port Blair, for two years. “Roshni’s family was not happy with the relationship and wanted her to marry elsewhere. Her lover has offices in Calcutta, Chennai and Bangalore, and arranged to bring her to the city,” said a police officer.

On Monday, Roshni’s parents had planned to take her to Noida and get her married there. “Her lover came to Calcutta a few days ago and sent a friend to Port Blair, who accompanied Roshni from the airport,” added the officer. The two boarded the flight at Port Blair around 8.30 am.

When Govind Singh (name changed), a high school teacher, got a whiff of his daughter’s plan, he went to Aberdeen police station, in Port Blair, and registered a complaint stating that Roshni had stolen cash and jewellery from the house and fled. He also informed the cops that she was flying to Calcutta.

Port Blair police sent a fax to Calcutta airport, asking the cops here to detain Roshni. The airline crew pointed her out to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, who later handed her over to the officers of airport thana. “We asked her companion to leave, as no complaint had been filed against him,” stated another officer.

Roshni’s mother and brother-in-law arrived in the city from Port Blair on another flight and rushed to the police station. They reportedly tried to make Roshni change her mind, but failed. While leaving the police station after a few hours, her mother said: “We are extremely disturbed and not in a position to say anything.”

During interrogation, the girl told police and CISF about her affair and her family’s opposition to it. Throughout Monday, her lover called her cellphone several times.

A team of officers will take Roshni back to Port Blair on Tuesday. “Since the case has been registered here, the legal proceedings will take place here,” an officer of Aberdeen police station told Metro.