THODUPUZHA: Lovers who were hiding in the forest for more than three weeks were finally taken into custody. Appukuttan alias George (21) of Kottayam and 17-year-old-girl were held after living in the forest for 23 days. The police and residents of the area were in search of them in the forest and surrounding areas.

The two accidentally appeared before the police Tuesday morning at Kolapra. Seeing the police, the two ran to different directions. The girl reached a house and asked for water. The inmates of the house gave her food and asked her to take rest. The local residents informed the police and handed her over to the police.

The police chased the youth and took him into custody. Appukuttan was a coconut climber. He came close with her while engaged in work at Kumily. The two eloped on January 6.

The Kumily police were not able to find the two even after a search was conducted. The locals near Appukuttan’s house somehow found that they were hiding in the forest of Elaveezhapoonchira, a tourist centre. A police team under Kattappana DySP was entrusted to trace them.

Appukuttan was very familiar with the place. They survived by eating tender coconut, mango and coconut from nearby places. The girl was produced in the court after her parents filed a habeas corpus plea. Police from Kattappana took the youth to Peerumedu.