Hyderabad: The family of Prashant Maidam, the Indian who has been arrested in Pakistan for entering the country illegally, was informed in April this year that he was in the custody of Pakistani authorities. The family chose to ignore it. But a video released on Monday showed that the information was correct and that he was in Pakistani custody. The family was happy to see their son alive after two years.
His family and the Indian police can only guess at why Prashant entered Pakistan illegally when he could have travelled legally. They are also wondering why he needed to go to Pakistan.
Prashant, the younger of Babu Rao’s two sons, got a job in a private company in Bengaluru soon after completing his BTech (Computer Sciences Engineering) in Vishakhapatnam. He worked in Bengaluru for about one-and-a-half years. He met one Swapnika Pandey of Madhya Pradesh there but the relationship reportedly failed and Prashant was upset about it.
He travelled to China and Africa and joined Shore Infotech India Pvt Ltd in Madhapur. He lived with his family at a rented house in Bhagat Singh Nagar in Kukatpally under KPHB limits. The family had moved to the city in 2013, but Prashant joined them only in early 2017.
On April 11, 2017 he left home for office and never returned. After he was unable to trace his son’s whereabouts for two weeks, Babu Rao lodged a complaint with the Madhapur police on April 29.
The police could not find any clues about Prashanth and the case entered the list of unsolved cases. Mr Rao is happy to learn about his son’s whereabouts, but is upset that he is in Pakistan.
“In April, 2019, a man who was tall and lean came to our home and collected details about me. I suspect he was from the central security agencies or maybe from the Research and Analysis Wing. He told me that my son was being held in Pakistan for illegal entry,” Mr Rao said. Mr Rao says he did not believe him then.
In response to a question, Mr Rao said, “Prashant had told his mother about a woman colleague in Bengaluru named Swapnika Pandey. He told her that she had proposed to him and had then gone to Switzerland. We told my son if he is interested we will get him married to her, but Prashant said it was a joke. With the current developments, we suspect that he had left the house for her.”
He said that after Prashant went missing, he had registered a complaint with the Madhapur police, who had informed him that Prashant was not traceable.
Cyberabad police commissioner V.C. Sajjanar said that after the techie went missing, information was shared with police stations across the country.
“A look-out circular was also issued on Prashant. He had left no traces while leaving and had turned off his phone. Now that reports have emerged of him being held in Pakistan, the agencies concerned have been alerted and we are hopeful that he will return,” said the commissioner.
The commissioner said that reasons for Prashant going to Pakistan are unclear and where he spent the last two years is yet to be established.
“The agencies of any country will doubt a citizen of another nation entering their land illegally, and moreover it is Pakistan. They would have questioned him and after clearing his background they would have released his video,” said Mr Sajjanar.
Prashant and another person, Vari Lal of Madhya Pradesh, were arrested in Pakistan for allegedly entering the country illegally. A video of Prashant speaking in Telugu, addressing his parents went viral on social media on Monday.
