I was grabbed at gunpoint by Uganda Police - Indian billionaire’s daughter recounts

Vasundhara Oswal, daughter of Indian billionaire Pankaj Oswal, has spoken out about her shocking ordeal in Uganda, where she was falsely accused of kidnapping and attempted murder.

In a chilling account, she described how she was forcefully taken from her father’s distillation plant at gunpoint by Ugandan police officers, despite no formal charges being presented against her.

On 30th September 2024, Vasundhara arrived in Uganda from London to spend time with her family and commission a new distillation unit. However, the following morning, instead of launching the project, she was woken by her manager with news of a heavy police presence outside the plant.

“There were about 20 officers, 10 of them armed with AK-47s,” she recalled. Upon questioning them, she was told they were there for a ‘yellow diffusion’ or ‘missing persons’ raid but were unable to provide a search warrant.

When she protested, an officer told her, “We are the Ugandan police, we can do anything. You are not in Europe anymore.”

Forcibly Taken and Threatened at Gunpoint

Despite complying with the search, which lasted several hours and turned up nothing, the officers insisted that Vasundhara accompany them to meet a director at Interpol. When she refused, they warned her, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

“My parents were on the phone screaming at me not to go,” she recounted. However, before she could react, an officer grabbed her and forced her into a car.

As she attempted to resist, another officer pointed an AK-47 at her and warned, “Don’t you dare move.” She was taken to Interpol, where she was compelled to write a statement under duress. She had hoped this would end the ordeal, but instead, she was detained without being informed of any charges.

Inhumane Detention Conditions and Extortion

That night, she was thrown into a police cell filled with urine and faeces.

“No one wants to be living in a place like that,” she said. Her family was informed the next day that she could be released on police bond if they paid $30,000. Despite the ransom being paid and her passport confiscated, she was not released but instead kept in detention for an additional 72 hours.

On Friday evening, officers finally informed her of the charges against her—kidnap and attempted murder. Without any prior interrogation or evidence, she was driven to Luwero Magistrates Court and officially charged.

Imprisonment and Legal Battle

Over the weekend, Vasundhara was held at Luwero Prison before being transferred to a larger facility in Nakasongola. Throughout her detention, she was denied food, water, and even basic hygiene facilities, relying on her parents to bring her necessities. After three weeks of imprisonment, she was granted bail on 21st October.

The accusations stemmed from a dispute involving Mukesh Menaria, a former employee of her father who had been reported missing.

Menaria had taken a loan from the Oswal family and later issued bounced cheques. His family accused the Oswals of murdering him, sparking a large-scale police investigation. However, days later, Menaria was found alive in Tanzania, exposing the baseless nature of the allegations.

A Case of Business Rivalry and Political Influence

According to Vasundhara, the entire ordeal was driven by malicious interests. “That family, we know for a fact, got financial support from our business competitors in Kenya. That is how they were able to get the story out there and get authorities involved at such a large scale,” she explained.

Despite the traumatic experience, she remains determined to seek justice. Her case has drawn widespread condemnation, raising concerns about corruption, human rights abuses, and the use of security forces for politically and commercially motivated harassment in Uganda.