A French pensioner was arrested for trying to smuggle his new Russian bride home in a suitcase -before discovering she was free to travel anywhere in the EU . 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 . A French pensioner was arrested for trying to smuggle his new Russian bride home in a suitcase -before discovering she was free to travel anywhere in the EU ( file picture ) 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 was n't in need of any medical attention . ' Despite this , the arrests were deemed valid because the couple had attempted to avoid border controls , which is a criminal offence . The newly-married couple were on their way back to Nice ( pictured ) , France , when their bizarre ploy was rumbled . 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 supple , making it relatively easy for her to fit inside the suitcase . The couple had risked a three-year jail sentence by attempting to evade 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 .
Pensioner assumed his new Russian bride would n't be allowed into France . Frenchman , in three-year , thought wife could not travel in the EU without visa . He hid her inside a suitcase and placed her in the luggage rack of a train . She was found by a border guard in Poland and the pair were arrested . Wives of men with EU passports can travel wherever they like in Europe .