Jessica with Gurdeep
By Gurbir Singh, Hamilton,New Zealand,April 6,2018:
An autistic, Jessica Doody (24) a resident of Christchurch, New Zealand with a mental age of a 14-year-old, has been tracked and found in Patiala by her father who flew half way around the world to locate her after being told she was in India.
Jessica was reported missing by her family on March 19, and five agencies, including Interpol, were involved in her search.
According to her sister Sarah with whom this journalist spoke today, her father was successful in locating her in Sarabha Nagar, Patiala where she was living with her boyfriend, Gurdeep Singh (also known as Garry). The Doody family was informed about her whereabouts by NZ police on March 28.
Jessica reportedly met Gurdeep in Christchurch two years ago and both entered into a relationship immediately thereafter.
It appears, as Sarah mentioned, Jessica travelled to India via Guangzhou on March 16, using a new name to be with Gurdeep, who left New Zealand on December 17 last year.
Gurdeep had come to New Zealand originally as a student and was on a work visa when he was 'deported' last December due to 'visa irregularities', as Sarah informed.
But for the heartbroken father, it was not the emotional reunification the family was expecting.
Speaking to this journalist, Sarah said her father was not allowed to meet his daughter alone. He met her at the Patiala police station, in the presence of several police officials, and Gurdeep.
According to Sarah, her father, Craig felt very intimidated, scared in the presence of police who also forced him to sign a piece of paper confirming that he had met his daughter and she was in good health. "This was done even before he had met Jessica", Sarah added.
"He was alone in a far off place, not knowing the language and felt terribly intimidated", she added.
"He actually feared for his personal safety as the local police there advised him to leave Patiala after their meeting for 'your own safety'."
Craig Doody
Jessica, it is believed, told police that she wanted to stay in India with her boyfriend and his parents, and did not want anything to do with her family, as her father had 'beaten' her.
His cellphone was allegedly taken away by police when he tried to take a photograph of his daughter,but was returned later.
"He is in a new country without any means of communication as he was unable to buy even a phone sim despite producing his passport...We also feel let down by NZ authorities", Sarah added.
Her father, Craig feared his daughter has been brainwashed and could be easily manipulated in India without the family support circle.
"She's been brainwashed and I think she has been groomed. She's madly in love with this guy and can't see what's happening to her", he is reported to have conveyed.
"I was allowed to ask her five questions, and she just said she was staying in India and that she totally hated the family," Craig said.
After this brief nightmarish experience, Craig was escorted to the bus stand today morning (India-time) for his return to New Delhi.
"I'm really concerned for her safety – I have serious safety concerns,” he is quoted to have told Sarah.
A worried Craig and his family have been trying to convince authorities that Jessica has mental deficiencies and needs to be reunited with her family. According to her family, she takes anti-depressants, seizure medication and mood stabilisers, and suffers from irritable bowel syndrome.
According to Jessica’s sister, Sarah, Gurdeep had claimed to be a billionaire and succeeded in making Jessica believe in the amazing fantasy life they would have.
Sarah says that after meeting Gurdeep, Jessica became very isolated from her own family and was in a debt of $50,000 - thanks to Gurdeep's spending habits and "fleecing money from her".
"In fact, my mum was often supporting them financially by paying their rent, buying their groceries,etc. But a stage came, when she put her foot down to increasing demands for money from Gurdeep. Actually, my worried mum offered to let both stay in her home to save on rentals, but Gurdeep refused", says Sarah.
"We always had questions about their (Jessica & Gurdeep's) relationship, and we felt it was not genuine love that he proclaimed. It was more for him to attain his NZ residency. We would have helped him,if he was honest to us," added Sarah.
But as she cut ties with the family, they could not do anything, as she was an adult.
Craig, is likely to stay put in Delhi for some more time to re-evaluate the situation and to find ways to bring Jessica back to New Zealand.
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Gurbir Singh is a Hamilton,New Zealand-based Freelance Feature Writer & Journalist. He can be contacted at: gurbir@journalist.com