Delhi Police names 2nd Russian Embassy official who helped woman flee country

In its latest status report filed ahead of the hearing in the case on Friday, the police said that it has sought clarification from the Ministry of External Affairs on the diplomatic immunity status available to the two officials who need to be interrogated

New Delhi

The next hearing in the case is on Friday. (HT Archive)

The Delhi Police, in its probe into the escape of a Russian woman from the country in defiance of Supreme Court’s order, has named a second Russian Embassy official for allegedly assisting the woman to escape from the country in July this year.

In its latest status report filed ahead of the hearing in the case on Friday, the police said that it has sought clarification from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on the diplomatic immunity status available to the two officials who need to be interrogated on their role in assisting the woman, Viktoriia Basu, escape from India along with her minor son.

According to the report, a copy of which was accessed by HT, the two officials are posted with the Russian Embassy in Delhi. While one of them has already been named by the police in an earlier report submitted to the court, investigation into documents submitted by the woman’s husband, Saikat Basu, has revealed the role of another Russian Embassy official, identified as Albert Shtoda.

The report said, “In view of submission of Saikat Basu, the MEA has been informed of the points relating to intervention of MEA for investigation and have sought to clarify the immunity Mr Arthur Gerbst and Mr Albert Shtoda are holding.”

The police has addressed a letter to MEA in this regard, requesting permission to interrogate them, to establish their role in assisting Victoriia Basu escape, the report adds.

On September 15, when the matter was last heard, court had ordered the police to conduct a “deeper probe” into the matter after the role of Russian Embassy officials in helping out the woman surfaced for the first time.

According to the police’s status report on that day, a senior Russian diplomat posted in Delhi allegedly instructed an Indian businessman to arrange a taxi for the woman and organised payment – ₹75,000 cash – for the cab driver through the businessman, who has long-standing trade ties with Russia.

The status report stated: “During the investigation of the case, Vivan Sehgal (the Indian businessman), who booked the taxi on behalf of Arthur Gerbst, counsellor head, Russian Embassy, New Delhi, has been examined and interrogated. He has submitted that as he has been associated with Russian companies since last 15 years and used to visit the Russian Embassy for official work and on July 4, 2025, he went to the Russian Embassy for visa extension. He was asked by Gerbst to book a taxi from Delhi to Sanauli, UP, and later on he asked to book the taxi from Delhi to Narkatiaganj (Bihar) which he booked from KTC (India) Ltd.”

The court, after perusing the report, had enquired why the police failed to interrogate the staff of the embassy where the woman had last visited before she fled India. Investigations revealed that she took a taxi to Bihar, escaped into Nepal, boarded a flight to Sharjah and took a connecting flight to Russia.

The police report does not reveal the designation of Shtoda or the specific role attributed to him. However, he is described as a “senior official” of the Russian Embassy by the top court in an order passed in May 2024, when it had sought assistance from the Russian Embassy to enquire whether Basu could be provided any residence facility. Shtoda appeared on behalf of the embassy on that day and submitted that the Embassy does not provide any accommodation to its citizens.

The latest status report of the police further informs that investigation into the Hong Kong-based travel agency, which booked the air tickets, revealed that payment for the tickets were made by the woman’s mother in Russia.

The police has even reminded MEA to check with the Russian Embassy if a fresh or duplicate passport was issued to Basu or her child. This fact is crucial as the minor child was in the custody of the court. In May, the top court directed both the husband and wife to separately have custody of the child for three days a week. While doing so, the court ordered the child’s Indian passport to be deposited with the court. While the passport still remains with the court, the bench had in the past directed the police to investigate if the child’s passport was forged or a duplicate or new passport was issued to facilitate his travel.

The police have filed a criminal case against the woman and have arrested one Sameer Ansari, a man residing in Bihar, who facilitated the woman and the minor child to illegally cross the Indo-Nepal border.

The court previously called it a “brazen violation of this court’s order”, which took place due to “active collusion and connivance of persons named in the Delhi Police report. It includes certain officials of the Russian Embassy.”

It even accused the police and MEA of treating the case as “just another matrimonial dispute” while highlighting that the case relates to the dignity and authority of the Supreme Court as the child had been snatched away from court’s custody.

On the court’s nudge, the Indian government has already approached Russia under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to determine the whereabouts of Basu and the child. Under the same treaty, the MEA has also asked Russian prosecutors to probe the alleged role of Gerbst.

Besides, Delhi Police is pursuing a blue-corner notice against Basu and a yellow-corner notice against the child. Basu, who came to India in 2019, had moved the court in 2023 seeking full custody of her son following differences with the husband. On July 7, the husband reported her disappearance and after a frantic police hunt at airports and border states, it was found that the two had crossed into Nepal on July 12.