NIKHIL GUPTA'S FAMILY IN EMOTIONAL TURMOIL

'My father is brave and strong, and he keeps us strong. We do cry and get worried, but he tells us that everything will be alright,' his daughter stated.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

NEW DELHI T he New Delhi-based Gupta family is enduring a heartwrenching ordeal as they grapple with the detention of their husband and father, Nikhil Gupta whom they last met in June last year. His daughter, the eldest among the two children, who is managing the family expenses through her professional work, said that the last one and a half years have been a nightmare for them which they would like to believe will end soon.

"I often travel for work for days and he would call me several times a day just to make sure I'd eaten or was doing well. Even when I was away for just a day, he would video call me, saying he wanted to see his 'Laado' while referring to the name that he has used to address me since I was a child", said Gupta's daughter, sharing memories of her father's unwavering love and support.

The family's nightmare began when the daughter was away from home and learned of her father's detention in Prague.

"When I didn't hear from him for two or three days, I started to worry. His number was switched off, and it was only after returning home that my brother, who came to know about his arrest first, finally told me what had happened. I was shocked and felt helpless," she shared.