Luwero, Uganda

The billionare Oswal family has released a disturbing audio of their last call made by Vasundhara Oswal while in detention in Uganda. Vasundhara, the daughter of Swiss-Indian billionaire Pankaj Oswal, has been allegedly illegally detained for nearly three weeks.

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According to the Oswal family, Vasundhara has been held in prison by Ugandan police since October 1 without a trial. She is facing allegations of kidnapping and murder of a former employee. The individual, who she is accused of murdering, has been found living in Tanzania in state custody her family said. 

Also read | Swiss-Indian billionaire appeals to UN after daughter detained In Uganda

Disturbing social media post

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A social media post shared by Vasundhara’s sister, Ridi Oswal details her detention, “My sister, Vasundhara Oswal, has been unjustly imprisoned in Uganda for over two and a half weeks, in a prison meant for those convicted of heinous crimes like murder. Yet, she remains behind bars without any evidence against her, and without any valid reason to hold her.”

An audio recording of Vasundhara’s last phone call with her family was also shared in the post. In the audio clip, Vasundhara can be heard screaming while crying, “They’re taking my phone. They’re taking my phone.”

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Another voice of a woman was heard in the audio protesting, “She’s talking to her family, you cannot deny that. They cannot take your phone.”

“You will hear an audio of how she was stripped of her freedom and denied a single phone call, even though she was being illegally held, this audio was taken when she was 90 hours in and had an unconditional release order,” Ridi wrote about the audio.

Why is Vasundhara Oswal detained?

Vasundhara Oswal, 26, was arrested on October 1 from the family business plant Extra-Neutral Alcohol (ENA) facility. Industrialist Pankaj Oswal claims that she has been detained on the charges made by a former employee who took a $200,000 loan from the family. Vasundhara was taken into custody for kidnapping with intent to kill. However, the family said that the former employee made these charges to avoid paying back the loan.

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“The man she has been accused of kidnapping and murdering, the one on whom this entire case is falsely based, was already found in Tanzania, in state custody,” her sister said as she explained that the man has even provided a notarized affidavit saying Vasundhara or her family never mistreated him. “Despite this, the Ugandan state refuses to acknowledge the truth.”

The family filed an urgent appeal with the United Nations on October 11, seeking intervention.

“I am deeply grateful to the media and the UN for their support, and I pray for a positive resolution soon. I don’t know how much longer she can endure this torment,” said Ridi.

(With inputs from agencies)