Man runs away from home to escape his wife’s “torture”

BENGALURU:

A Bengaluru-based engineer who had been missing since August 4 was tracked down in Noida on Thursday after he fled home to escape what he described as his wife's “torture”.

The man, a resident of north Bengaluru, was found by police near a mall in Noida, which he was leaving after watching a movie.

He was brought back to Bengaluru by the authorities on Friday morning.

The technician's disappearance prompted his wife to take to social media to accuse the police of not doing enough to find her husband. She had initially feared that he had been kidnapped.

The techie had reportedly left his home to withdraw cash from an ATM before he disappeared.

During the investigation, the police had difficulty tracking him down because he had turned off his mobile phone, so their search of CCTV footage from bus stations, railway stations and the airport was futile.

The breakthrough came when the techie, who now lives in Noida, bought a new SIM card and inserted it into his old phone so that the police could track him.

When confronted by plainclothes police in Noida, the technician expressed his unwillingness to return home. He reportedly told police, “Put me in jail. I will live there… but I will not return.”

He finally agreed to fly back to Bengaluru after officials explained to him that the missing person report filed by his wife could only be completed in her presence.

In his statement to the police, the technician claimed that he had been harassed and controlled by his wife.

He revealed that he was her second husband and that they had an eight-month-old daughter. He described his wife's strict control over his daily life, including his clothing and behavior, adding that she reprimanded him for minor incidents, such as spilling food.

Fearing further exposure after his wife posted his photos and videos online, the technician changed his appearance by shaving his head. He gave a detailed account of his journey to the police, explaining how he first travelled to Tirupati by bus, then to Bhubaneswar by train and finally to Delhi and Noida.

The technician was eventually sent back to his homeland, but the case highlights concerns about domestic political issues and the lengths individuals will go to evade them.