A Bengaluru-based techie who went missing on August 4 was found near a mall in Noida on Thursday evening, days after his disappearance. The man, a resident of North Bengaluru, was spotted by police after coming out of a mall where he had watched a movie. He was brought back to Bengaluru by police on Friday morning.

Wife’s Concerns and Search Efforts

The techie’s disappearance prompted his wife to raise concerns on social media, alleging that the police were not making sufficient efforts to find her husband. She claimed that he had gone missing after stepping out to visit an ATM to withdraw cash and suspected he had been kidnapped.

Initially, the police struggled to locate the man, as he had switched off his mobile phone. They reviewed CCTV footage from bus stands, railway stations, and the airport but found no leads. It was only when the techie purchased a new SIM card in Noida and inserted it into his old phone that the authorities were able to trace his location.

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Police Encounter and Return to Bengaluru

When police officers in plain clothes approached the techie outside the mall in Noida, he immediately recognized them. According to the officers, the techie smiled and asked, “What next?” When the police suggested flying back to Bengaluru, he initially resisted, saying, “You put me in prison, I will live there…but I won’t return.” Eventually, after several hours of persuasion, he agreed to return on the condition that the missing person complaint filed by his wife could only be closed in his presence.

Upon returning to Bengaluru, the techie provided a statement to the police, revealing that he felt harassed and tortured by his wife. He disclosed that he was her second husband, having married her three years ago when she was a divorcee with a 12-year-old daughter. The couple now has an eight-month-old daughter together.

Reasons Behind His Disappearance

In his statement, the techie explained that his wife exerted excessive control over his life, restricting his freedom and scolding him over minor issues, such as how he dressed or if food fell from his plate. He also mentioned that she posted videos and pictures of him online, declaring him missing, which led him to change his appearance by shaving his head. After leaving Bengaluru, the techie traveled extensively, taking a bus to Tirupati, then a train to Bhubaneswar, and finally arriving in Delhi before heading to Noida.

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