Crossed into Pakistan in 2020, Unnao man's odd 5-year journey home - returns in unstable condition

A man from Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district has finally returned home, nearly five years after going missing, but in a mentally unstable state following his time in a Pakistani jail, officials said on Friday.

The 45-year-old Suraj Pal, a resident of Akrampur Sultan Khera village in the Sadar Kotwali area, disappeared on 27 October 2020. His family lodged a missing person report soon after, relatives told PTI.

According to Pal’s cousin Ramesh, security personnel from the border area in Jammu and Kashmir informed the family in October 2021 that Pal had crossed into Pakistan in December 2020, where he was imprisoned.

He was released in May 2024 and handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) at the Wagah border, a relative added.

Despite his release, Pal did not make it home until Wednesday, when villagers spotted him wandering near the Lok Nagar railway crossing in a disoriented condition, they quickly alerted his family.

The relative said Pal’s mental health has been badly affected and he is unable to respond clearly to their questions.

Magarwara police outpost in-charge Arvind Pandey said no action has been taken at their level so far, as the local intelligence unit has launched an investigation into the matter.

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