Meerut: In a fresh twist in the alleged Meerut ‘love jihad’ case, the woman, who had earlier eloped with a local history-sheeter named Shahzad, on Friday returned and claimed that she was willingly in a live-in relationship with her paramour. According to officials, the woman, who had earlier got married to someone else, was traced to Chandigarh.The couple had been under severe pressure from their families and police to return to Meerut. “She has clearly told us that she went with Shahzad out of her own will and was not forced by him or anyone else. During the day, she was produced in court, where her statement was recorded,” Meerut SP (rural) Rajesh Kumar said.The couple was on the move ever since it escaped from Meerut. Officials said that the duo went to Saharanpur, Chandigarh, Amritsar and Goa to avoid police. Recently, they posted a selfie on social media, with the Golden Temple in the background. Sources in the department told TOI that the couple succumbed to the pressure being exerted by police on Shahzad’s family.A resident of Parikshitgarh, Shahzad has more than half-a-dozen cases of attempt to murder, loot and robbery against him at various police stations. Currently out on bail, he is also accused of robbing a Bareilly jeweller of Rs 1 crore in 2015.Earlier, the couple had approached the Allahabad high court seeking protection, even as the district police registered a case of attempt to murder against Shahzad for allegedly shooting at the woman’s brother on May 17.After pressure from certain Hindu groups, which claimed that it was a case of ‘love jihad’, the investigation was handed over to the STF. It was alleged that Shahzad had abducted the newly-wedded woman while she was going to her husband’s house on April 8.On May 19, two BJP MLAs had protested against the city police over the 'love jihad' case.

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