Hyderabad (PTI): The parents of an 18-year-old student from Hyderabad, who has been missing in Finland for the past 45 days, are desperately hoping for any information on the whereabouts of their son.
Gujja Muthyam Reddy, father of Manideep Reddy, told PTI on Friday that there has been no contact with his son since May 5.
Manideep Reddy has been pursuing a bachelor's programme in Software and Systems Engineering at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT University), Lahti Campus, Finland. He was residing at Ritaniemenkatu, Lahti.
Manideep Reddy last spoke to his mother on May 4 and told her he was well.
Muthyam Reddy's family lawyer, K L B Kumar, said Manideep Reddy was last seen at a mall on May 5.
Though Manideep Reddy's parents sought to visit Finland to search for him, their visa was rejected by Finnish authorities, citing various reasons, Kumar said.
These included not submitting proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the duration of their stay.
Observing that his family had no information on how Manideep Reddy went missing, Muthyam Reddy said his son had travelled from Lahti to Helsinki, according to transactions on an ATM card used by him.
The bank account for the ATM card is jointly held by Manideep Reddy and his mother, Mamata Reddy, who receives information about the transactions.
Muthyam Reddy said a friend of his son, who hails from Delhi, had lodged a complaint with Finnish police at their request. The friend has since returned to India from Finland.
Police, who checked Manideep Reddy's room, told the family he was not present there, he said.
Muthyam Reddy said former Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya had helped upload details on the MADAD Portal of the Ministry of External Affairs, bringing his son's disappearance to the notice of the Centre and requesting immediate diplomatic intervention.
He said the family had also approached a union minister.
A Finnish police investigation revealed that Manideep Reddy travelled alone from Lahti to Helsinki on May 5 by train. Surveillance footage reportedly showed his arrival at Helsinki Central Railway Station at about 5.14 pm.
Thereafter, further CCTV footage showed him visiting a burger outlet in Helsinki city centre, where he purchased food and stayed for some time before leaving the premises.
The investigation further revealed that his university account had shown login activity after his disappearance, according to a petition filed by Kumar in the Telangana High Court.
The authorities informed the family that a successful login to his university account was recorded on May 9, and another access was noticed on May 10.
The Finnish authorities further indicated that enquiries were being undertaken regarding the devices and IP addresses used for such access.
Several representations were submitted to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Embassy of India in Helsinki and other concerned authorities, requesting them to actively coordinate with Finnish authorities and monitor the progress of the investigation, Muthyam Reddy said.
He also said that after May 29, all communication between the family and the concerned authorities in Finland had completely ceased.
He alleged that despite his repeated emails, telephone calls, and continuous efforts to obtain updates regarding the investigation and the whereabouts of his son, the concerned authorities had not been responding to his emails or calls and had not provided any further information on the progress of the investigation.
The family had approached the High Court seeking directions to the Centre, the Embassy of India in Finland, the Telangana government and others to immediately take up and continuously pursue the matter with the competent authorities in Finland, through appropriate diplomatic and consular channels, for tracing Manideep Reddy and ensuring his safety.
The High Court posted the matter for hearing on June 24.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
