The last image of Manideep Reddy Gujja that Finland police got was of him casually walking along the aisles of a shopping mall in Helsinki, about 100 kilometres from his residence in Lahti, on May 5. The 18-year-old has been missing ever since, and his parents have approached the Telangana High Court, seeking directions to authorities to trace their son.
Originally from , Gujja was a student of the University of Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT) in Finland and regularly attended classes, his parents, Mamata Reddy and G Muthyam Reddy, said.
“He never really socialised. His day began with college and ended at the living quarters, which he shared with his roommate,” Mamata said.
On May 5, according to his parents, Gujja asked for Rs 5,000. “He called me to ask for this small amount of money, and I transferred it,” his mother said. Since then, using about Rs 2,500, he travelled for over 100 kilometres by bus and reached Helsinki, Finnish police found. The reason for the journey remains a mystery.
In Helsinki, he was seen having a bite at an eatery and walking into a shopping mall. His phone became unreachable shortly afterwards. “We don’t know what happened to him,” his mother said, weeping.
Gujja had moved to Finland in 2025 to study to become an engineer. “We thought that he would come back and do well in a good job,” the mother said.
His younger brother, who is still in school, misses him badly, Mamata said, adding, “He used to call almost every day. He was attached to his brother. Now, we are in despair.”
According to the writ filed in the High Court by his parents through Advocate KLB Kumar, a missing persons case was registered in Finland’s Lahti on May 11. “The Finnish authorities conducted enquiries at his residence, examined available records, contacted his roommate, verified hospital admissions and made enquiries through various government and transportation authorities,” the writ read. “Despite these searches, it is not clear where he has gone or what happened to him,” Mamata Reddy said.
Gujja’s credit and debit cards have not yet been used since he went missing. “There was no transaction history after the day he went missing. Without money, how can he survive?” his mother asked. However, someone had logged in using his university ID twice after he went missing. “The police have not traced who that was,” his mother said.
The parents now want to go to Finland to search for their son. “The Finnish authorities denied both of us visas. How are we to look for our son?” Muthyam Reddy said. Their lawyer said the couple should have been given a visa on compassionate grounds. “They just want to go to that country to look for their son,” Kumar said.
Based on the writ filed in Hyderabad, the court has asked the Ministry of External Affairs to respond at the earliest. The case is up for hearing again on June 24.
