Prashanth (in the checked shirt) hugs his brother as Cyberabad Commissioner V Sajjanar looks on
A Telangana man who went missing in April 2017 has been found - he had been detained by Pakistan after illegally crossing the border on his way to Switzerland.
Prashanth, an IT sector employee, was released Monday and handed over to Indian officials at the Attari-Wagah border crossing in Punjab.
He has since been handed over to a Cyberabad Commissionerate police team that brought him to Telangana's Madhapur, where his family had filed a missing person's complaint on April 29, 2017.
"After continuous follow up by Telangana government with External Affairs and Home Affairs ministries, the missing person was released and handed over to Indian authorities...to Inspector P Ravindra Prasad of Madhapur Police Station, at Attari border in Punjab," a statement said.
What is particularly astonishing about this story is that Prashanth, wanted to travel to Switzerland for "personal reasons" but lacked the finances to make the trip.
So, he decided he walk to Europe.
He left home on April 11 four years ago and took a train to Bikaner in Rajasthan. From there he got to the India-Pakistan border, which he crossed by jumping the fence.
He was promptly caught by Pakistani authorities, who charged him with illegal entry.
After he went missing, worried family members approached local police.
They were later informed Prashanth had been detained in Pakistan, after which they notified the Telangana government and the centre. The Home and External Affairs ministries then contacted the Pakistani government.
His parents have thanked both state and central governments for getting their son released safely.
Prashant said he managed to get himself some books to read while in prison in Pakistan, and is ready to face job interviews so he can start life afresh.