City-based techie released from Pakistan jail

Hyderabad: A City-based software engineer, V Prashanth (31), who was arrested by Pakistan's Bahawalpur police four years ago for illegally entering that country, was repatriated through the Attari-Wagah border on Monday. He reached here on Tuesday.

According to Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar, who was instrumental in getting the release, said that Prashanth, along with one, Durmi Lal, a farmer from MP, was arrested in the Cholistan desert area in Bahawalpur (Punjab) in May 2017. The Bahawalpur police then registered an FIR against them under the Pakistan (Control of Entry) Act. Since then he was in their custody.

Sajjanar stated:"The duo had crossed the border without any identification papers and proper documents, such as valid visa and passport. When Prashanth was arrested the Pakistani authorities suspected that he was a 'spy'. But later they believed his version that he was trying to cross the Pak border to reach Switzerland to meet his online girlfriend."

"Prashanth left for office from home on April 112017. Since then he was missing. But after a few days his family got news that he was arrested in Pakistan, as his video went viral. They filed a complaint with the Madhapur police on April 29. A case was registered and efforts were on to get him released from Pak jail. We continuously followed it up with the Ministry of External Affairs to get him released. The ministry also wrote to the Pak government. After a lot of hard efforts finally the techie was released from jail. He arrived in the City on Tuesday. He will undergo a mandatory quarantine of 14 days and will be reunited with family," said Sajjanar.

Earlier, Prashanth's father said:"His son was working in Bengaluru for one and a half years, before joining a software firm in Hyderabad. Their family moved to Hyderabad from Visakhapatnam in 2014. He never realised that his son had fallen in love with a girl from Switzerland and would attempt such a thing."

"I am very happy as I have come back home after more than four years." these were his first words from Prashanth after entering the Indian territory. He adding that it was his personal matter which he did not want to disclose.