Missing Telangana man returns after 17-day detention in Dubai

Wife's plea through CM Pravasi Prajavani helped trigger official action.

Hyderabad: A Telangana man who was reported missing in Dubai earlier this month has returned home after spending 17 days in detention, ending weeks of uncertainty for his family.

Speaking to Siasat.com on Monday, June 29, Veppugonda Mallesh, a resident of Bonkur village in Gollapalli mandal of Jagtial district, said he arrived in Hyderabad on Friday, June 26, following his release from custody in Dubai.

Mallesh had travelled to Dubai in November 2025 to work as a steel fixer with Master Heal Facility Management LLC. He said he was detained on the night of Tuesday, June 9, after he and 15 to 20 others, including Indian, Bangladeshi and Nepali nationals, had gone out together.

“The police accused us of selling wine and arrested everyone present,” he said, maintaining that he was not involved in the alleged offence.

Unable to contact her husband after his phone was switched off, Mallesh’s wife, Velpugonda Rama, also known as Padma, sought assistance through the Telangana government’s CM Pravasi Prajavani programme on Tuesday, June 16. In a petition addressed to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, she appealed to the state government to help trace his whereabouts.

The representation was forwarded to the Telangana government’s NRI Cell. Mandha Bheem Reddy, Vice Chairman of the Telangana NRI Advisory Committee, also coordinated with the Consulate General of India in Dubai and the family during the efforts to secure Mallesh’s release.

Mallesh thanked the Indian mission in Dubai, Telangana government officials and Bheem Reddy for their support in facilitating his release and return to India.