'Gross violation of human rights': Indian-origin billionaire's daughter in Ugandan jail for over three weeks

Mumbai: Vasundhara Oswal, daughter of Indian-origin billionaire Pankaj Oswal jailed for the kidnapping and murder of her father's former employee in Uganda, who was later found alive, claimed that her more than three-week ordeal behind bars was a gross violation of human rights.

Vasundhara (26) was falsely charged with the kidnapping and murder of Mukesh Menaria, a former employee of her father, Pankaj Oswal, last year. He was later found alive in Tanzania.

Talking to PTI on Friday, Vasundhara said, "I was detained for five days and thrown in prison for another two weeks. My human rights were grossly violated. They didn't let me take a shower and denied me food and water. My parents had to bribe police officers through lawyers to bring me food, water and basic necessities."

She claimed that at one point, she was not allowed to use the washroom as some sort of punishment.

Vasundhara was arrested on October 1, 2024, and was granted bail on October 21.

She claimed that the police searched her premises without a warrant.

"When I asked them to present a search warrant, they said, 'We are in Uganda, we can do anything, you're not in Europe anymore'. They then forced me to go to Interpol with them on the pretext of meeting their director. When I didn't want to do it the same day, a male officer picked me up and threw me inside their van," she alleged.

Vasundhara claimed she was forced to give a statement without a criminal lawyer.

"We had a civil lawyer because they didn't give us time, as they said that if I didn't give a statement, then I would be held indefinitely," she said.

Vasundhara was detained in a cell after she gave a statement and was asked to pay USD 30,000 and present her passport for a police bond.

She, however, claimed that despite submitting the necessary documents, she didn't get a police bond and was thrown back in the cell.

Vasundhara further alleged that even after producing an unconditional release order from the courts, she was detained illegally for 72 hours.

Vasundhara was later informed that she was being charged with kidnapping and attempt to murder and was taken to a lower-level magistrate court instead of a high court.

She said she was kept in a prison for persons arrested for petty crimes and later shifted to a facility housing convicted murderers and human traffickers.

"I spent the next two weeks in Nakasongola prison. And even after they found that the man (Menaria) was alive, they proceeded to keep me in prison on those charges. They found him on October 10, a week or two before I got bail," she said.

Vasundhara managed to get bail on October 21, following attempts to sabotage her application, and her passport was returned on December 10.

She claimed that the Uganda police kept the charges on her though Menaria was found alive and later reduced the charge to misdemeanour confinement after taking money from her family.

"This was done basically to keep something on our heads and extort more money because the Uganda police's biggest mistake was that they didn't investigate the matter properly," she said.

Vasundhara said she wants the Ugandan government to correct its mistakes.

"I feel like the other governments have already automatically corrected their mistakes, and they have used the law correctly, not in a manipulative manner, to get what they want. So, this is more up to the Ugandan government to correct its mistakes towards an investor who has spent the last three years in their country building their business," she said.

The case against Vasundhara was dismissed on December 19, 2024.

Vasundhara said she is reviewing all possible legal remedies at the moment for all that she went through in prison.