Relief was writ large on the face of Xialoin, the Chinese national, as she emerged outside the women’s prison with her four-year-old baby Han Riu Hou in hand.
A visibly upset young Hou clung to her mother dearly as they stood before the secluded prison building at Kakkanad, Kochi.
On Saturday evening, Xialoin and her daughter walked out of the prison, thus ending the 18-day-long ordeal in Kerala prisons. The mother and child and one of their relatives had been picked up by the Infopark police for visa overstaying.
Clutching her handbag and affectionately holding the baby, Xialoin paused for a moment outside the dim-lit jail premises. Then she walked slowly towards her aides, leaving behind the bitter memories of jail life.
“India is a beautiful country but Indian prisons are hell and I don’t want to come back here ever in my life,” said a visibly relieved Xialoin with a sheepish smile.
While submitting the case documents, the police had arraigned the kid also as an accused in the case, which invited the wrath of the judge.
The Hindu had broken the news of imprisonment and the sufferings of the child through a series of stories. Later, the mother and child could walk out of jail as the High Court of Kerala granted them bail.
“It was a tough call for the child in prison during the initial days. She kept on crying, inconsolably. As days passed, she got adjusted to prison life. The jail authorities gave more free time to her. They also let her play small games in the jail,” recounting the torment the child underwent in the prison, Xialoin said.
“Jailers fed the baby with fruits and juice. She lost her weight significantly as she didn’t eat well. While being in jail, the baby developed fever. The authorities took her to a hospital and provided medical aid. Now, the child is feeling better,” she said.
Before releasing, the jail authorities read out the bail conditions to her. Later, her well-wishers took her to a villa in Kakkanad.
