Efforts on to seek release of Andhra couple in Norway

Indian authorities are making efforts to seek release of a couple from Andhra Pradesh who has been arrested in Norway for chiding their son.

According to their family, an officer of the Indian embassy met Chandrashekar Vallabhaneni, who is in police custody, in Oslo Friday and assured him full assistance. According to information reaching here, the officer collected all the details of the case and spoke to Chandrashekhar, an employee of software giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

Chandrashekhar and his wife Anupama were arrested by police on Monday but their family here only came to know of this on Thursday.

The arrest was made nine months after their seven-year-old child Sriram complained to his school teachers that his parents were threatening to send him back to India for wetting his pants.

Originally hailing from Krishna district in coastal Andhra, Chandrasekhar was sent to Oslo by his company last year to handle a project. The family returned home in July this year.

Chandrasekhar again left for Norway on Nov 23 for work. This time he went only with his wife leaving behind his both sons. A court in Oslo issued summons and later police arrested them.

Chandrasekhar's parents and other family members here were worried about the couple. They appealed to the state and the central government to intervene to seek their release.

According to the child welfare authorities took Sriram for a month, but later returned him to his parents.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy directed Chief Secretary Minni Mathew to get in touch with the officials of the ministry of external affairs to seek the release of the couple.