The unnamed man, who is in his 60s, was one of thousands of Western men who visit Russia every year to find love.

 

It is not known where or how he met his young wife, but he assumed that she would not be allowed into the EU without a visa.

 

Because of these fears, he 'folded' her into a suitcase and placed her in the luggage rack of a train as he set off back to Nice, in southern France.

 

At Terespol station, on the border between Poland and Belarus, the woman was found by immigration officials, who immediately arrested the couple.

 

After searching the suitcase, Polish customs spokesman Dariusz Sienicki said: 'The Russian wife of the owner of the bag was inside.'

 

There were initial fears that she might have been kidnapped or abused in some other way, however it became clear that she was fine.

 

Mr Sienicki added: 'She was in good shape and wasn't in need of any medical attention.'

 

Despite this, the arrests were deemed valid³ because the couple had attempted to avoid border controls, which is a criminal offence.

 

The wives of men with EU passports can travel wherever they like in the EU, so if the woman had simply sat next to her husband there would have been no problem.

 

The Russian bride was said to be in her thirties and extremely supple⁴, making it relatively⁵ easy for her to fit inside the suitcase.

 

The couple had risked a three-year jail sentence by attempting to evade⁶ border control.

 

Mr Sienicki said: 'This was the first time I've seen someone travel like this. She very well could have been a victim of human trafficking.'

 

The couple were eventually released after questioning and were allowed to carry on with their journey.

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