Vasundhara Oswal, daughter of Indian-origin billionaire Pankaj Oswal, was last year detained in Uganda for three weeks on false charges of kidnapping and murdering her father’s former employee, who was later found alive in Tanzania. Arrested on October 1, she was granted bail only on October 21.
Ms Oswal, 26, was kept in a high-security prison alongside convicted murderers and human traffickers.
Who is Vasundhara Oswal?
- Vasundhara Oswal is the daughter of business tycoons Pankaj and Radhika Oswal, who own the multibillion-dollar Oswal Group Global. She lives in Villa Vari, one of the world’s most expensive homes, worth over $200 million, overlooking Mt. Blanc in Switzerland. The house was designed by renowned interior designer Jeffrey Wilkes.
- She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Finance with Honours from a prestigious university in Switzerland.
- In 2020, she joined the board of PRO Industries, making history as the organisation’s first female lead. She currently serves as the Executive Director (Finance) of PRO Industries, overseeing investment strategy and plant development. She is also the Director General of Axis Minerals, one of the largest bauxite mining projects in Guinea, which holds 884 million tons of bauxite. Under her leadership, PRO Industries and Axis Minerals have completed major expansion projects, reduced debt, and launched sustainability programmes.
- She successfully integrated a commercially viable Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) programme at PRO Industries, ensuring 100 per cent wastewater recycling. She established a CO2 capture facility that sells CO2 to the beverage sector, aligning with her ecological and sustainability goals. She has led social initiatives, including installing drinking water facilities and roads in East Africa for underprivileged communities.
- She has received multiple accolades, including Inspiring Woman of the Year by The Economic Times and the Global Youth Icon Award in 2023. She was also featured in Femina India in 2023.
Speaking to news agency PTI on Friday, Vasundhara Oswal called her imprisonment a “gross violation of human rights,” alleging she was denied food, water, and even access to a washroom.
“My parents had to bribe police officers through lawyers to bring me food, water and basic necessities,” she claimed.
She also accused the Ugandan police of searching her premises without a warrant and coercing her into giving a statement without legal representation. Despite submitting a police bond and the allegedly dead employee being found alive on October 10, she remained in custody until her release.