A Hyderabad-based software engineer, who was arrested by Pakistan’s Bahawalpur police two years ago for illegally entering their country, was repatriated through the Attari-Wagah border on Monday.
The techie, Vaindam Prashanth (31), along with Durmi Lal, a farmer from Madhya Pradesh, was arrested in the Cholistan desert area in Bahawalpur , Punjab province on November 14, 2019. The Bahawalpur police registered an FIR against them under the Pakistan (Control of Entry) Act and since then he was in their custody. They had crossed the border without any identification papers and proper documents, such as a valid visa and passport, the authorities.
At that time the Pakistani authorities suspected that he was a ‘spy’, but later they believed his version of the story that he was trying to cross the Pakistani border to reach Switzerland to meet his online girlfriend. Prashanth surfaced in Pakistan after having gone missing for two years.
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Two years ago when he left for office and did not return home, his father Babu Rao lodged a complaint with the Madhapur police of Cyberabad and a man missing case was registered on April 11. Later when his whereabouts were known, after a video of Prashanth from Pakistan went viral on the internet, his father approached Cyberabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar wrote to the State government and Ministry of External Affairs seeking his extradition from Pakistan.
Earlier Prashanth’s father Mr. Rao said “He was working in Bengaluru for one and a half years, before starting a new job at a software firm in Hyderabad. Their family moved to Hyderabad from Visakhapatnam in 2014.
"I am very happy; I have come back home after more than four years,” these were his first words after entering the Indian territory.
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He further admitted that he was in love with a girl living in Switzerland, but went on to add that it was his personal matter.
The techie will be quarantined for 14 days after completing all formalities. Mr. Sajjanar confirmed that Prashanth was handed over Indian authorities and would reach Hyderabad soon.