Viktoriaa Basu child custody case: Delhi court seeks police clarification on Nepal entry records

New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) A Delhi court has sought clarification from the investigating officer in the child custody case involving Viktoriaa Basu, a Russian woman accused of illegally leaving India with her minor child and allegedly entering Nepal through a jungle route.

Viktoriaa is currently in the middle of a child custody battle with her estranged Indian husband, Saikat Basu.

Judicial Magistrate First Class Seema Nirmal directed the investigating officer (IO) to file a supplementary chargesheet and clarify the details regarding the alleged forged documents used in the case against Viktoriaa.

The court was informed that during the investigation, letters were sent to authorities in Nepal and Russia seeking immigration and travel details of Victoriaa and her minor child.

The court noted in its order dated February 28 that as per police records, “The Nepal authorities provided certain immigration and travel details. As per their report, Viktoriaa Basu and the minor child entered Nepal on July 11, 2025, at Birgunj, and their port of arrival has been shown as from Russia. However, Birgunj is a land port adjacent to the Indian border.” According to the police investigation, the woman and the child had entered Nepal on July 8, 2025, with the assistance of a co-accused, Samir Ansari, through a jungle route, the court noted.

The court was also informed that the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) reported no travel records of Victoriaa after April 9, 2023, while no travel details of the minor child could be traced since his birth on January 29, 2020.

Russian authorities, meanwhile, said the woman and the child were not traceable.

The investigating officer told the court that non-bailable warrants had been issued against Viktoriaa on March 10, 2023, which were forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs for execution, but no report regarding their execution had been received so far.

Observing that certain clarifications were required regarding the alleged forged documents, the court directed the police to file a supplementary chargesheet and fixed the matter for the next hearing on April 25.

Viktoriaa, who came to India in 2019 after getting married to Saikat Basu, moved the court in 2023 to seek full custody of her child following the breakdown of their marriage.

In May 2025, the Supreme Court directed that the exclusive custody of the child be given to the mother for three days in a week – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday – and for the remaining days, the child was directed to remain in the exclusive custody of his father.

In July 2025, Saikat Basu informed the court that Viktoriaa had disappeared with the child.

The apex court directed Delhi Police to trace their whereabouts and sought the Ministry of External Affairs to issue a lookout notice to ensure that they do not leave the country.

The court was later informed that Viktoriaa had left the country through the Nepal border and took a flight to Russia via Sharjah.

Police had earlier submitted “clear evidence” to the court on the role of two Russian Embassy officials, Albert Shtoda and Arthur Gerbst, in arranging a vehicle for Victoriaa to help her flee the country.

The Russian Embassy has firmly denied any role in Viktoriaa’s escape. PTI MDB ARI