MP man in Pak jail since 2019 handed back to Indian authorities

KHANDWA: A 44-year-old man who went missing from Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh five years ago and was later jailed in Pakistan after inadvertently crossing into that country, has returned to India, an official said on Monday.

Raju Pindare, a resident of Indhawadi here, has been handed back to Indian authorities and a four member team comprising policemen and a medical professional has been sent to Amritsar to bring him here, additional collector Shankarlal Singhade said.

''Information about Pindare being handed over to India was received by us through Amritsar's Red Cross Society. He will be handed over to his family after legal formalities are completed,'' Singhade added.

Subhash Sharma, Project Manager, Red Cross Society of Amritsar, said Pindare was released by Pakistan authorities on February 14 at the international border at Wagah and handed over to Khandwa police on Monday. Khandwa's Superintendent of Police (SP) Vivek Singh said he has been in constant touch with the police headquarters regarding the man's return.

Meanwhile, Pindare's mother Basanta said he was mentally unwell and she had got information about his arrest in Pakistan through some local officials in 2019, six months after he went missing.

Her son used to wander here and there but it is still not known how he managed to get to Pakistan, Basanta said.

She also said the family was poor and there was no chance of her son being a spy as was alleged by some segments.