Couple found safe in Turkey after terrifying cross-border pursuit

A 28-year-old woman from Torrox has been found in a deportation centre in Turkey with her partner after a supposedly terrifying international pursuit involving her partners father.

María Jimena Rico lost touch with family on the Costa del Sol on Monday while crossing Turkey. She is travelling with her girlfriend, 22-year-old Shaza Ismail, of Egyptian origin.

Marías family in Torrox reported the women missing on Tuesday when they failed to make contact. María had previously told her family how Shazas father had dramatically travelled from his home in Dubai to confront the pair at the airport in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, threatening to kill his daughter for her sexuality.

In a WhatsApp message sent from Georgia, María said to a friend, The father tried to take her by force, the family is mad... Seriously theyre going to kill us.

María left Torrox four years ago to work in London. Having recently met Egyptian-born Shaza on a trip to Dubai, where Shazas parents live, they both returned to London, only to be summoned back suddenly, on the pretext that Shazas mother was ill.

On arriving back in Dubai on 15 April, according to Marías family, it was clear that the illness was a ruse and Shazas father had reported his daughter to the authorities for her sexual orientation, as homosexuality is illegal in the UAE.

The couple fled Dubai immediately to stay with friends in Georgia, but while waiting at Tbilisi airport to fly back to London last week, María told how Shazas father suddenly appeared, made his threat and ripped up their passports.

Georgian police were called and when everyone was released, the women fled overland by bus towards neighbouring Turkey, where the nearest Spanish consulate is.

After a few attempts to cross the border, including being held for twelve hours as suspected terrorists, the couple succeeded in entering Turkey.

Contact lost on Monday

At 9.38am last Monday morning they spoke to a friend in London and said they had reached Istanbul. On hearing nothing from their daughter afterwards, and following her instructions to go to police if they lost contact with her, the family reported the disappearance to the Guardia Civil in Torrox on Tuesday morning.

Speaking in Torrox, Marías mother, Teresa Montero, 65, said on Thursday, Someone has got to be holding them captive, [María] was always on the phone, every day, she knows our numbers by heart.

Marías family had managed to make contact with the father of Shaza, who claimed that he was still in Georgia, had not done any harm to the women but also said that he had no idea where they were.

On Thursday afternoon the women were located in an Istanbul deportation centre, where they had been sent after being arrested in the Turkish city of Samsun for not carrying passports.

Spanish ambassador to Turkey, Rafael Mendívil Peydro, said, Fortunately, everything has sorted itself out. María has been in touch with home, saying she has had no water or means to contact family and is waiting to be returned to London with Shaza.