Techie from Andhra repatriated by Pakistan via Wagah border
Prashant Vaindam, who went missing in 2017, was arrested by Pakistan police in November 2019 for entering their country illegally
A 32-year-old Indian software engineer, who was arrested for entering Pakistan illegally in 2019, was repatriated through the Attari-Wagah border on Monday.
Software professional Prashant Vaindam, a resident of Rajam town in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, went missing in 2017. Vaindam along with one Vari Lal of Madhya Pradesh was arrested in Pakistan on November 14, 2019.
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Sources said the techie wanted to go to Switzerland to meet his online girlfriend but surfaced in Pakistan after having gone missing for two years.
“Prashant was handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) by Pakistani Rangers at the border at 3pm,” said a BSF official at the border.
He will be quarantined for 14 days after his immigration formalities and Customs checks are done at the integrated check post (ICP) Attari, sources said.
Soon after his arrest, a video clip of Vaindam was widely circulated on the internet. In the video, Vaindam was seen speaking in Telugu, informing his parents that he has been arrested in Pakistan. He tried to assure his parents that after completing formalities, he will be released.
The sources said Vaindam, who was working as a software engineer in a Bengaluru-based company, fell in love with an Indian woman in Switzerland. He wanted to go to Switzerland but was caught in Pakistan while crossing the Cholistan desert in Bahawalpur district, the sources added.