Greater Noida: Kenyan woman, who lied about assault, to be deported

Maria Burendi allegedly made up a story about being assaulted, day after after students from African nations were beaten by a mob in Greater Noida.

The UP Police will soon initiate the process of deporting Maria Burendi, a Kenyan woman who allegedly faked a racial attack by locals in Greater Noida, as her visa has expired.

Maria Burendi had alleged that five men dragged her out of a cab when she was going to her friend’s house. However, later she retracted her statement and said she made it up. (HT Photo)

“We have examined Burendi’s documents and we found that her student visa had expired long time ago. We will initiate the process and in a week’s time, she will be deported to Kenya,” said Dharmendra Singh, senior superintendent of Police, Gautam Budh Nagar.

On March 29, the 24-year-old woman had filed a complaint saying that she was attacked by five unidentified men who dragged her out of the cab, while she was on her way to a friend’s apartment in Omicron society. She said that the cab driver had allegedly fled the spot after she was dragged by the men.

Burendi’s complaint came in the wake of race riots between Africans and locals on the evening of March 27 that shook Greater Noida. Both police and district administration faced widespread criticism for their failure to provide adequate safety to foreign citizens in Greater Noida.

The Kenyan High commission had also conducted an inquiry into the matter and they claimed that they were convinced with the police’s investigation. The police also said that they will not press any charges against Burendi for submitting a fake complaint as they did not want to stretch the matter.

But it seems that problems for Burendi are far from over as even the Kenyan High Commission is reportedly planning to take action against her.

Adamu Mohammed, a Nigerian national who stays in Alstonia apartments, said that some officials from the high commission had visited the apartments for probe and it is likely that Burendi will be deported.

“The day Burendi had lodged a complaint about the attack, representatives from Kenyan High Commission had visited Alstonia apartments where she is staying. After finding out that she had filed a fake complaint, they seemed adamant to take strict action against her,” said Adamu.

However, Association of African Students in India (AASI) has declined to comment on the issue saying that only the Kenyan High Commission has the authority to take action on the issue.

The high commission could not be contacted on this issue.