Bhavesh Parmar, a mentally disturbed resident of Vile Parle who wandered into Pakistan years ago, is likely to be released and repatriated on Thursday (Oct 25).
He has spent close to five years in a Pakistani jail.
Congress MLA Krishna Hegde, who has been petitioning various authorities to get Parmar back, said the Indian high commission had communicated the news to him.
“We have been officially intimated by Pakistan Foreign Office that he would be released at Wagah-Attari border on October 25, 2012,” Acquino Vimal, first secretary in the high commission, said in a mail to Hegde.
The MLA and Hansaben, mother of Parmar, are planning to go to Wagah border checkpost to receive him. .
The computer professional was staying in Vile Parle with his family.
The death of his father after a prolonged battle with cancer left Parmar mentally disturbed and he subsequently left his house in 2004.
Noboby knew his whereabouts till 2008 when the special branch of Mumbai Police told Kamalaben that Parmar was in Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore.
She subsequently took up the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs, but did not get any response.
The family received a letter from Parmar in February 2010 through a fellow prisoner released by the Pakistan government.
The issue was subsequently taken up by Hegde, who got in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs, and activist Jagdeep Desai, who liaised with Pakistani officials.Lawyer Awais Shaikh fought his case in Pakistan.
“Parmar’s release is a Dussehra gift to his family. His mother is very happy,” Hegde said.
Parmar is supposed to have boarded Samjhauta Express. He, however, does not know how. He told his lawyer someone made him board the train.
Pakistan Police arrested him in 2007 under Foreigners Act. He was convicted and kept in Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore, till July 2012.
The letter you see is one he wrote to his mother – 57-year-old Hansa Kantilal Parmar – in February this year
She received the letter from a man called Ram Rajji, who described Bhavesh as being “very quiet”, one who cried when he thought of home but at most times recalled nothing.
They had spent time in a jail in Lahore.
It is still unclear how, he managed to board the high-security Samjhauta Express, and once he got to Pakistan, he was detained because he had neither a visa nor any documents to prove who he was.
A bright student, Bhavesh had graduated from NIIT and landed himself a decent job.
“He was very close to his father, and after his death he went into depression,” said Hansa.
“After that he also lost his job. The family fell into financial trouble and he blamed himself for not being able to look after us.”
Hansa had gone to her maternal home to perform some rituals when the next tragedy struck.
Neighbours called to say that Bhavesh had not returned home for a few weeks.
Hansa returned immediately and when she couldn’t find him anywhere, registered a missing complaint with the police.
“Some people told me he must’ve died or committed suicide, others said he had run away. I didn’t know what to do so I decided to wait,” she said.