Train guards find man’s wife in suitcase

A Frenchman tried to smuggle his Russian wife into the EU in a suitcase, not realising she was entitled to have sat next to him on the train.

The husband, who was in his 60s, and his wife had been taking a train from Moscow to the French city Nice, but their risky plot was discovered by Poland’s border guards.

According to border spokesman Dariusz Sienicki, officers became suspicious because of the size of the suitcase.

“To their surprise, a woman in her 30s emerged. It was the Russian wife of the owner of the suitcase,” Sienicki told AFP.

“She was alive and well and didn’t require medical attention.”

The couple was released after questioning and decided to return to Belarus.

The husband and his wife took an unnecessary risk which could have resulted in a three-year jail sentence for attempting to evade border control, according to Sienicki.

Non-EU citizen spouses are allowed to enter the EU if they can prove they are married. They could have entered the passport-free Schengen travel zone without all the hassle they went through.

“This was the first time I’ve seen someone travel like this. She could very well have been a victim of human trafficking,” Sienicki reportedly said.