Surat: A 20-year-old BTech student who left home ostensibly intent on ending his life after an emotional video call to his father was traced in Ahmedabad within 24 hours and brought back safely by Surat police on Friday.The student, who also worked at a technology company, had called his father on Thursday afternoon and said he wanted to see his face for the last time. He then switched off his phone and left Surat, prompting his family to approach the police.According to police, the youth had been struggling with anxiety for the past few years. A second-year BTech computer engineering student, he had stopped attending college and later left his job despite earning Rs 40,000 a month.His father, a textile broker, was in debt to the tune of Rs 3 lakh and paying a monthly home loan instalment of Rs 37,000. Family members told police that concerns about repaying loans, meeting education expenses and supporting the household weighed heavily on the youth.“Worried over the financial crisis, he stopped going to college and later left the job as well. Unable to cope up with the pressure and thinking he could not meet expectations of his family, he left home with plan to end life,” said R D Dhadhal, police sub-inspector, Utran police station.After receiving the complaint, police began tracking him from available background information and mobile phone location data. His presence was confirmed in Ahmedabad, after which a police team traced him in the Gurukul Road area on Friday night.The team brought him back to Surat and reunited him with his family. Police also counselled the student and his relatives after his return.The family, originally from Junagadh district, has been living in Surat for the past few years. They are currently preparing for the engagement of the youth’s 23-year-old elder sister.
