"Do Something Quickly": Top Court Asks Centre To Find Russian Woman, Child
Victoria Basu, the Russian woman who is missing with her four-year-old child, has not left India through legal channels, the Central government informed the Supreme Court on Friday. The woman-- who allegedly absconded with her son from her marriage to an Indian man, Saikat Basu-- remains 'untraceable', the centre said.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, who appeared for the Centre and Delhi police, told the top court that 'look out notices' and 'hue and cry' notices have been issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs asking all senior police officials across the country to trace the missing woman.
ASG Bhati told the court that the Russian embassy is fully cooperating with Indian authorities in the matter. Ms Basu's father is reportedly a retired officer with the FSB, i.e., Russian intelligence.
"The Russian ambassador has informed that the woman approached the embassy on July 5 and made a complaint about her husband's misbehaviour. However, the embassy asked her to reach out to the police," she said.
On July 10, the woman's mother lodged a complaint with the embassy, saying her daughter was missing. But she was also reportedly advised to contact the Delhi Police.
The woman's husband, Saikat Basu, had alleged his estranged wife -- as divorce proceedings are pending before a family court in Delhi's Saket -- had been seen furtively entering the Russian embassy in Delhi via the back gate earlier this month with luggage. He claimed she had been accompanied by an embassy official.
While hearing submissions, a bench led by Justice Surya Kant flagged several issues and directed the authorities to immediately inquire with the Railway officials and other means of public transport to trace any moment of the missing woman and the child.
The bench also directed the Delhi police to check CCTV footage of all entry and exits of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) in their ongoing probe to find the woman and the child.
"They need to do something very quickly", Justice Surya Kant stated, flagging concern over the circumstances in which the missing woman may be and the safety of the child.
After issuing directions, the Supreme Court posted the matter to Monday, July 21.
According to the woman's husband, there was a custody deal in place that would see the boy spend three days a week with his mother and the rest with him. On May 22, she took custody of the boy, which was the last time Mr Basu saw him, he told the court on Thursday.
The couple initially met in China, where the husband worked as an engineer for a software company and subsequently married in India in 2017.
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