Missing Russian woman still in India, Supreme Court informed
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Missing Russian woman still in India, Supreme Court informed
Viktoria Basu is accused of defying an order of joint custody of her minor son. The Supreme Court ordered the Delhi Police and Centre to trace her and tap all transport routes leading out of Delhi. The police issued a look out circular, sent wireless messages to all police station heads in Delhi and all senior superintendents of police across the country. ‘hue and cry’ notices have been pasted at all prominent places in the city and call detail records (CDR) of the woman are being analysed. Basu’s husband had told the top court that in July first week, she visited the Russian embassy and was seen with an official, with whom she allegedly had a relationship.
Additional solicitor general (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that her passport does not show an “exit” which confirms that she has not left India. Following the court’s Thursday order, the police issued a look out circular, sent wireless messages to all police station heads in Delhi and all senior superintendents of police across the country. Besides, ‘hue and cry’ notices have been pasted at all prominent places in the city and call detail records (CDR) of the woman Viktoria Basu are being analysed.
“Next two days will be crucial. You need to do something very quickly. CCTV footage of all exits of the city must be examined, including exits of NCR cities and beyond that,” a bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said on Friday.
Posting the matter for July 21, the bench directed police to contact railway officials and get information from all railway stations and other modes of commutation “to check whether she is in NCR or has left to some other destination.”
Basu’s husband had told the top court that in July first week, she visited the Russian embassy and was seen with an official, with whom she allegedly had a relationship and who may have helped her escape the country. She went missing on July 7.
As the court directed the police and Centre to probe this angle as well, ASG Bhati informed that the Russian embassy is yet to formally respond to the communication sent in this regard by the ministry of external affairs (MEA).
“There may be possibility of collusion with one or two embassy officials at a private level as the embassy may not indulge in this. You (police) try to find out if any official helped her in getting a new passport…Exit may not be possible with the same passport. It may not have been used. Only in case there is a departure from the country in the normal course, there will be an exit,” the bench noted.
ASG Bhati pointed out that the SC on May 22 had granted her custody of the son for three days every week. On July 6, her bank showed a withdrawal of over ₹200 and the amount remaining in her bank was ₹160. No maintenance is being paid to her by the husband as she is receiving help from her parents. By the May 22 order, the court had directed the Centre to extend her visa even though she claimed to be currently unemployed, having once worked as a scientist in Russia. She has remained in India since 2019 and has not returned, resulting in a pending custody battle for her son initiated by her before the top court.
The bench remarked, “We are in a strange situation. If she is in such a financially bad state, how will she maintain her child. All forms of travel by rail, road need to be checked to know where they have gone.”