NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — Vasundhara Oswal, the daughter of Indian-origin industrialist Pankaj Oswal, is speaking out for the first time about what she calls a “nightmare” three-week detention in Uganda — an ordeal she describes as a stark violation of human rights and an alleged extortion attempt by corrupt local authorities.
The 26-year-old businesswoman traveled from London to Uganda on Sept. 30, 2024, to commission her family’s newly constructed distillation plant. But within 24 hours, her trip took a chilling turn. On Oct. 1, Ugandan police raided her property without a warrant, claiming they were acting on a “yellow diffusion” alert over the disappearance of Mukesh Menaria, a former employee of her father.
“I asked them for a search warrant and was told, ‘We are in Uganda. We can do anything. You’re not in Europe anymore,’” Oswal told India’s PTI news agency. She said officers, some armed with AK-47s, scoured the premises for hours, waking employees and even searching the roof, but found nothing. When Oswal refused to accompany them for a so-called “meeting” at Interpol, she claims a male officer physically forced her into a police van at gunpoint.
Despite Menaria resurfacing alive in Tanzania just days later, Oswal remained imprisoned. She spent her first night in a detention cell she described as “infested with urine and feces,” denied food, water, and access to a toilet. “No human being should be forced to live like that,” she said.
Even after her family paid $30,000 and surrendered her passport to secure a police bond, Oswal alleges authorities refused her release and continued to hold her illegally for another 72 hours — despite a court’s unconditional release order. On Oct. 11, more than 10 days after her arrest, Oswal was formally charged not just with kidnapping but with attempted murder — a capital offense in Uganda.
The charges, Oswal insists, were entirely fabricated. She said her family had dismissed Menaria months earlier over financial disputes, including unpaid loans and bounced checks. Menaria’s family, she suspects, fueled the false narrative, backed by local business competitors aiming to damage her family’s reputation and investments.
Following the escalation of charges, Oswal was transferred from a petty offenders’ facility in Lira to Nakasongola prison, a notorious lockup housing convicted murderers, human traffickers and rapists. “I spent two weeks there, fearing for my life,” she recalled.
Her family sought help from the United Nations and leveraged international diplomatic channels to pressure Ugandan officials. According to Oswal, senior Ugandan authorities appeared sympathetic, but lower-level officers continuously blocked her release and used her detention to demand bribes.
She was granted bail on Oct. 21, but the case lingered for months. Her passport was returned only on Dec. 10, and the charges were formally dismissed on Dec. 19.
“This was never about justice,” Oswal said. “This was about money — corrupt officers keeping the case alive to extort my family.”
The episode also disrupted her family’s business operations in Uganda. Oswal said authorities detained multiple expatriate employees, forcing her family to pay bribes for their release, which has left her and other foreign investors shaken.
“Uganda made us believe it was safe to invest. We spent three years building a project there, but the system showed us its true face,” she said.
Now, back home, Oswal is calling for accountability. “This isn’t just about me,” she said. “This is about stopping this cycle of corruption, so no one else goes through what I did.”
