'Put me in prison but ...': Missing Bengaluru techie had run away to escape wife's torture

To avoid being recognised, the techie altered his appearance by shaving his head.

A Bengaluru-based techie who had been missing since August 4 was located near a mall in Noida on August 15 evening. The man, a resident of North Bengaluru, was spotted leaving the mall after watching a movie and was subsequently brought back to Bengaluru by police on Friday morning.

The techie’s wife had earlier taken to social media to express frustration with the police, accusing them of not doing enough to find her husband, whom she feared had been kidnapped after leaving home to visit an ATM. During the investigation, authorities faced difficulties tracking the man as he had turned off his mobile phone, and surveillance footage from various locations, including bus stands, railway stations, and airports, provided no leads. The breakthrough came when the techie bought a new SIM card in Noida and inserted it into his old phone, allowing police to trace his location.

When approached by plainclothes officers, the techie reportedly smiled and asked, "What next?" Though initially resistant to returning to Bengaluru, he eventually agreed after being told that the missing person complaint filed by his wife could only be closed with his presence.

It took several hours for the three officials to persuade the techie to fly back to Bengaluru. He initially resisted, telling them, "You put me in prison, I will live there... but I won’t return." However, he eventually agreed to return when the officers explained that the missing person complaint filed by his wife could only be closed in his presence.

Upon his return, the man explained to the police that he had left home due to what he described as harassment and controlling behavior by his wife. He revealed that he was her second husband, having married her three years ago when she was a divorcee with a 12-year-old daughter. They now have an eight-month-old daughter together. The techie expressed feeling stifled by his wife’s control over his daily life, including his clothing choices and even minor actions.

To avoid being recognised, the techie altered his appearance by shaving his head. He then traveled to Tirupati by bus, continued to Bhubaneswar by train, and eventually made his way to Delhi before arriving in Noida.