The Bengaluru techie who went missing revealed that he had left home due to serious domestic issues with his wife.
New developments have surfaced in the case of 37-year-old Vipin Gupta, a tech professional from Bengaluru. Gupta, who was last seen on August 4, was reported missing by his wife at the Kodigehalli Police Station. He was eventually found at a mall in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, more than ten days after his disappearance.
According to The Times of India, police were able to track him down in Noida after he activated a new SIM card, allowing authorities to trace his location. Initially, the police struggled to locate him despite reviewing hundreds of CCTV feeds from bus stands, railway stations, and the airport.
On Wednesday, Gupta purchased a new SIM card in Noida and used it in his old phone, enabling officers to track him. The police approached him as he was exiting a mall. A senior officer mentioned, “When the three of us surrounded him, he quickly realized we were undercover cops. He smiled and asked, ‘What next?’ We suggested returning to the city, but he strongly objected.”
After hours of persuasion, the techie reluctantly agreed to return with the officers, primarily to address the missing person report his wife had filed. “You can put me in prison; I’ll stay there, but I won’t go back,” Gupta repeatedly told the officers, as reported by the publication.
The techie and the police arrived at Kempegowda International Airport on Friday morning. After a brief rest, he provided a statement to the police and was then allowed to go home. During questioning, he revealed that he had been dealing with severe domestic issues, describing his wife’s “controlling” behavior, which included harsh criticism over minor things and restrictions on his personal freedom.
“I’m her second husband. When I met her about three years ago, she was a divorcee with a 12-year-old daughter. I was single and agreed to marry her. We now have an eight-month-old daughter together. She controls my freedom—she yells even if a grain of rice or a piece of chapati falls from my plate. I have to dress according to her wishes, and I’m not allowed to go out alone to enjoy a cup of tea,” the techie told the police.
To avoid being recognized after his wife posted about his disappearance online with photos and videos, the techie shaved his head and changed his appearance. He informed the police that since August 4, he had traveled to Tirupati, Bhubaneswar, Delhi, and finally Noida.