Raipur
The Russian woman accused in the VIP Road accident case in Raipur, which led to the death of a young man, was granted bail and released from Central Jail late Tuesday evening. However, she has not been permitted to leave the country, and her passport remains in police custody.
Her lawyer claims that the woman does not even know how to drive and was still implicated in a culpable homicide case.
The counsel of the woman alleged several lapses in the police investigation, which were presented in court. After hearing all arguments, the court granted her bail.
He added that the police do not have any conclusive evidence proving that the woman was driving the vehicle. She was, in fact, a co-passenger and lacks driving skills. The lawyer said even the Ministry of External Affairs was to confirm this.
The counsel further pointed out that the Telibandha police failed to follow the Vienna Convention during her arrest. As per the international treaty, local authorities must inform the respective embassy upon arresting a foreign national, but this was delayed.
He also argued that the entire arrest process was conducted in Hindi, which the woman couldn’t understand. Even the arrest memo was not provided in English. These language barriers were also raised in court.
The counsel accused the police of acting under media pressure and slapping severe charges on the woman to send her to jail, even though the case should have fallen under the Motor Vehicles Act. “She came to India as a tourist, not a terrorist to be treated this way,” he said, adding that they plan to challenge the investigation in the High Court to ensure justice.
Around 12:30 am on February 6, 2025, a car with a Bilaspur registration hit a scooter carrying three young men on Raipur’s VIP Road. All three sustained serious injuries, and one of them died. Locals surrounded the car, in which the foreign woman and a man—reportedly a government lawyer—were seated. The woman appeared to be a foreign national, prompting people to refer to her as “Russian.”
Due to the commotion, police arrived shortly after. When asked to come to the station, the woman insisted on retrieving her phone, leading to a prolonged standoff as no female police personnel were present. Her male companion was asked to calm her down.
The woman, reportedly intoxicated, refused to leave without her phone. A public spectacle continued on the street for about 45 minutes before the police forcibly took both individuals to the station. Following the death of one of the victims, the police charged the woman and her companion with culpable homicide and sent them to jail.
During the investigation, police suspected the woman might be linked to a sex racket. Their probe led to the busting of such a racket and the arrest of around a dozen individuals. Evidence of payments was also recovered from some people. At the time, the Russian woman had been staying in a hotel.
