US authorities will not press criminal charges against a 24-year-old India-born woman who fled from her house to escape an unhappy marriage.
WASHINGTON: US authorities will not press criminal charges against a 24-year-old India-born woman who fled from her house to escape an unhappy marriage but caused a massive and costly search as her husband feared that she had drowned.
Prosecutors have determined that criminal charges are not appropriate and will not be filed against Anu Solanki, Cook County State's Attorney's office spokesman Andy Conklin said.
But whether or not restitution for the costly search will be sought in civil court, has not yet been determined, he said. Police in Chicago said the intensive search for the woman cost more than $250,000.
Also, no criminal charges will be filed against Karan C Jani, the 23-year-old man Anu fled with, either, Conklin was quoted as saying by by Chicago-Sun Times.
The couple were born in Gujarat and were married Oct. 6, 2006, after Dignesh Solanki's mother introduced the two.
Anu left her car running near the Des Plaines River on Decembet 24 when she disapperared. "It wasn't meant to look like there was foul play or tragedy involved in her disappearance," Cook County Forest Preserve spokesman Bill Cunningham said on Saturday.
Anu told her husband she was going to bury a broken Hindu statue at that location, which she did, according to Cunningham. She left the car behind with the doors open and engine running because "she wanted a clean break from her husband (Dignesh Solanki) and her marriage and didn't want to have any of his possessions," he said.
"She told us that she, in no way, meant to concoct some sort of hoax or leave the impression she fell in the water," Cunningham said. "She expressed regret and embarrassment about the reaction.
Once the pair left Chicago they headed to Los Angeles and stayed for about two days before Anu saw an internet news report about her disappearance and made arrangements to come back to Chicago, Cunningham said.
Police didn't give Anu or Jani any restrictions on whether they can leave the area or not.
Apparently Solanki had already started looking for a female roommate and an apartment in L.A. earlier this week, and said Jani is only "a close friend,"
Phone records revealed she and Jani, a recent University of Southern California graduate, had a yearlong relationship.
"They both maintained they are close friends and it's not a romantic relationship," he said. "The investigators told her she's basically free to go, but we might get in touch in the future."
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}