Renowned Indian-origin industrialist Pankaj Oswal has claimed that his 26-year-old daughter has been illegally detained in Uganda. According to Oswal, his daughter has been detained without trial since October 1 due to “corporate and political manipulation”.

Pankaj claimed that his daughter, Vasundhara Oswal, the executive director of PRO Industries, has been fabricated under false charges by a former employee, who had stolen valuables and taken a loan of $200,000 with Oswal’s family as guarantors.

When the Oswal family refused to repay the loan, they allegedly faced false accusations aimed at evading the financial obligations. Despite the employee being apprehended in Tanzania, Vasundhara has been unjustly accused of kidnapping and attempted murder, according to her father.

The Swiss industrialist has filed an urgent appeal with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, seeking international intervention in the matter. He alleged that Vasundhara was interrogated under inappropriate conditions and held for over 90 hours without access to legal counsel or family. Despite a court order for her unconditional release, the police have reportedly slapped inadmissible charges to prevent her release on bail.

“Not letting her be in touch with her family and lawyers and also snatching her phone from her, causing her to have an anxiety attack, which they did not acknowledge. This all while she is still being unlawfully detained with no evidence against her,” the family said in a post on Vasundhara’s Instagram account.

Pankaj has also written an open letter to the President of Uganda, appealing for his intervention. In a further effort to secure his daughter’s release, Oswal has engaged renowned human rights lawyer Cherie Blair CBE, KC, whose office stated that Vasundhara’s treatment constitutes a breach of both domestic and international laws.

Vasundhara’s mother, Radhika Oswal, speaking to an EU reporter said, “This is every mother’s nightmare. My young daughter has been thrown into a foreign jail. She has been stripped of her basic human rights and her dignity. Vasundhara is an innocent bystander. All I want is her safety, and for her to be back in my arms.”

Pankaj Oswal is the son of industrialist Abhay Kumar Oswal, who was the founder of Oswal Agro Mills and Oswal Greentech. The Oswal Group Global has holdings in petrochemicals, real estate, fertilisers and mining.

The billionaire couple Pankaj and Radhika Oswal have lived in Switzerland for the past 10 years with their two daughters Vasundhara and Ridi after they shifted from Australia.