HYDERABAD: Prashant Vaindam, the Hyderabad man who was arrested in Pakistan along with Durmi Lal from Madhya Pradesh for illegally entering the neighbouring country, had been missing since 2017, said his father Babu Rao.
Speaking to media in Hyderabad on Tuesday, Rao said Prashant, a software engineer, was employed by a firm in Bengaluru. While working there, he fell in love with a girl from Madhya Pradesh, about which they came to know much later. The girl is now residing in Switzerland.
Rao said that Prashant had been missing for more than two years and on April 29, 2017, they had lodged a missing complaint with the Madhapur police station.
"I had no information regarding my son's whereabouts and it was through media reports that I came to know that Prashant tried to immigrate to Switzerland," he said.
"My son is innocent", said Rao while denying Pakistani media reports that Prashant is a terrorist and was spying for India. He appealed to the Pakistani authorities to release his son.
The arrest of the duo came to light only on Monday. A copy of the FIR, which has been uploaded on Pakistani news websites, said the duo was caught while crossing the Cholistan desert in Bahawalpur district at around 8 pm on Thursday.
Pakistani cops said they arrested the duo after receiving information about two foreigners wandering in the Cholistan desert. The two Indians, they said, were hiding behind a sand dune during the arrest.
The duo failed to provide any documents, says the report.
In a video, released on Monday, Prashant was seen asking the Pakistani officials if he can speak in Telugu, to which they agree.
Addressing his parents in the video, Prashant said, "Everything is good here. I have been brought to the court from the police station. Now, I will be sent to jail. Afterwards, the Indian embassy will be contacted. The embassy will contact you thereafter. I will be released within a month. India and Pakistan exchange prisoners and that takes time. Once I go to jail, the process for bail will start. Once that is done, I can contact you."