Vizag techie V Prasanth shares how he ended up in a Pakistan jail

It was an emotional moment for Babu Rao and his family members after seeing the face of his son V Prasanth who was released from Pakistan Jail and came back home after four years. On Wednesday morning, techie V Prasanth travelled from Hyderabad and returned to his home, Vizag.

It may be recalled that Prasanth spent four years in a Pakistan jail for entering the country without the required documents. After all the formalities were completed and his jail term was over, Prasanth was handed over to Border Security Force by the Pakistan Rangers at the Attari-Wagah border and returned back home on Wednesday morning.

The techie from Vizag narrates his unexpected story in search of love. It was in 2017 when Prashanth left his house in Hyderabad and decided to move to Switzerland to meet the girl whom he met through Facebook. He took a train to Bikaner, Rajasthan from where he planned a roadway to Switzerland via Pakistan.

After entering Pakistan, Prashant felt safe and continued to walk forty kilometres in the desert and felt that he was safe, not caught by any police. Unfortunately, he was found by a highway patrol vehicle while crossing the border, who helped him provide water and food, and later asked his reasons for travel. “After entering the jail, I even forgot the thought of meeting my parents again. Thanks to the Indian Embassy and the government who put all efforts for my release,” said Prasanth. Narrating his life in Bahawalpur Central Jail, Prasanth said, “I realised that there are 5-6 individuals like me who got stuck in a Pakistan jail. They have no cases on them and have completed their jail term but they are yet to get a clearance from the Embassy. I gave the list of those Indians to the Indian Embassy and urged them to make efforts to bring them back soon.”

During his life in jail, Prasanth told that the inmates in the jail, during conversations, asked him to convert as Muslim, but he never gave a thought to it. “Being in jail for four years and the pain I had, I felt it is always good to listen to what your parents say. They never made us work, except maintaining the surrounding environment clean. With no access to television or news, I spent my time there reading books,” said the techie from Vizag.

Stuck in a Pakistan jail for four years, Prasanth had close to no knowledge about what was going on outside and how Covid-19 had taken over India. “I heard about the pandemic and 3-4 deaths being reported. But I thought it was not such a serious situation. With no news or TV to watch, I did not know anything. All I did was pray for good of my people. Once I came back, I was told about what is Covid-19 and its impact in India.”

On his return, Babu Rao said that he had lost hope on his son’s return when he was stuck in that Pakistan jail. “I spent sleepless nights, waking up even if a message tone was heard and calling back to every missed call, assuming it is about my son,” he added.

Now that he is back to Vizag, V Prasanth has decided to retake his old profession that he had left years back and go back to being a techie.