The family of an autistic Christchurch woman who followed her boyfriend to India is criticising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for refusing to help them bring her home.
Jessica Doody Photo: Supplied
Jessica Doody, who is 24, has the mental age of a 14-year-old.
Ms Doody went missing in March and was later tracked to the Indian city of Patiala, where she was living with her boyfriend Gurdeep Singh.
Singh, also known as Gary Anttal, had previously lived in Christchurch before he was deported in December.
Jessica's sister Sarah described Jessica as a beautiful person but "very innocent, very young and very vulnerable".
Jessica is autistic and has dyspraxia, conditions that combine to affect her ability to gauge social situations.
"She doesn't understand that people may have different intentions to what they say," Sarah said.
"She has very little understanding of personal safety and lacks fear," Sarah said. "She's also very limited in her ability to gauge emotions. She has the understanding of a child."
Sarah said the Doody family is stunned Jessica was able to change her name and get a new passport in that name, to travel and believe Singh assisted her from India.
This was despite there previously being a travel ban on her original passport.
"I just don't get it. I've been successful in acquiring a travel ban [for her]. You think that they would keep that on record. It's very hard to obtain a travel ban so why they delete it is beyond me. It had expired but not that long ago. Isn't that a red flag?"
Jessica Doody, left, with her sister Sarah. Photo: Supplied
Sarah said the family had received little support from New Zealand officials, who she said seemed not to have the resources.
"All the research has been done by me, New Zealand police wouldn't even tell us what part of India she flew into, no information was given to us."
Ms Doody said she had to do everything she could to find her sister, and the information she received "wasn't above board".
"The New Zealand government needs to look at when does someone's personal safety outweigh our privacy laws?"
She said her father Craig was now in India trying to bring Jessica home. Police had allowed him to see Jessica, but only with a group of about 10 police officers and Singh.
"Dad had to sign a piece of paper to say he'd seen her and she was physically well. It was quite a traumatic experience for my father and a scary and intimidating situation.
"She wouldn't be able to talk opening in front of him [the boyfriend]. Dad asked to speak to her alone but the police said no."
MFAT said the ministry and the New Zealand High Commission in New Delhi are providing consular assistance to the Doody family, but to protect the privacy of Ms Doody, they are unable to provide further information.
"Dad has spoken to the Kiwi consulate but they're not prepared for a situation like this... but he won't leave India without his daughter."
However she says there have been concerns about her father's safety and that he really needs someone who knows the system, language and law in India.
She says until then they just want to be sure Jessica will be kept safe by the family in India.
"We want to be sure they won't marry her off there. Or that she doesn't disappear off into thin air."
