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

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.