Billionaire Pankaj Oswal ‘felt guilty’, locked himself in a ‘secret location’: ‘Dedicates all his time to…’

Indian-origin billionaire Pankaj Oswal feels “immensely guilty” for sending his elder daughter Vasundhara to Uganda, his younger daughter Riddhi Oswal has said. She added that he is devoting all his time to fighting for her release.

Vasundhara has been imprisoned in Uganda for more than three weeks.

In an email interview with HT.com, Riddhi said the businessman and his wife Radhika Oswal have locked themselves in a “secret location” while they work to secure Vasundhara’s release.

She also said her parents’ guilt is compounded by their helplessness at not being able to travel to the African nation themselves.

“My parents’ hands are tied because they can’t even go to Uganda without being immediately arrested by the highly corrupt officials there,” she told HT.com.

Riddhi also said the family learned that the Ugandan police have too much power and can arrest people on a whim, “even without warrants or proper legal procedures.”

She also explained that if her parents are also arrested, they won’t be able to fight for her sister, “who has basically been cut off from everything and is already being treated like a convicted felon.”

Riddhi told HT.com that her parents, Pankaj and Radhika Oswal, have cut off communication from the outside world and are only talking to people who can help her sister.

Younger sister Oswal is now in charge of all family and business matters as her parents devote their attention to securing Vasundhara’s release.

“Dedicating all his time to fighting for my sister’s release”

Riddhi shared that her parents who were here London when they first learned of Vasundhara’s arrest, they feel “immense guilt” and essentially locked themselves away in a secret location, “dedicating all their time to fighting for my sister’s release.”

“They barely eat more than one meal a day and survive on the hope and belief that they can free their daughter,” she said.

Riddhi said her parents feel guilty for “pushing her to go to Africa to manage the factory and oversee its installation.”

“They always taught us that both sexes are equal and encouraged my sister to work on greenfield projects and more challenging assignments instead of giving her something ‘easier’ or ‘cooler’ just because she is woman. Now, they feel responsible for her situation,” she told HT.com.

Where is Vasundhara Oswal?

Vasundhara Oswal, 26, was “kidnapped by about 20 armed men” on October 1 from an extra-neutral liquor factory set up by the family.

Local officials have linked her detention in a Ugandan prison to an ongoing missing person investigation — allegations her family insists are completely untrue.

An urgent appeal was made to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention earlier this week.