How missing chef ended up in Uganda, Tanzania

Mr Rajmal Menaria, the brother of Menaria, told Monitor yesterday that the latter was found abandoned near a forest and he has since been taken to a police station where he is being kept as investigations on how he ended up in Tanzania.

"I would like to inform you that my brother was allegedly sneaked to Tanzania by two employees of his boss. They asked him to wear a helmet and drove him in a Prado to Mutukula. When they reached the police, they told him to wait for his passport so that he can fly to India through Tanzania. He also told me that he was beaten by the two people who sneaked him out of the country,” Mr Rajmal said.

The discovery of Mr Menaria alive has relieved his family's fears in India, who were worried that his captors had killed him.

The International Police (Interpol), Uganda Police Force and his family have been searching for Mr Menaria after he went missing during a visit to Uganda two months ago. 

His disappearance led to the arrest of the daughter of his employer and one other on allegations of kidnap. The duo were sent by a court in Luweero District on remand until October 28.

Mr Menaria is an employee of the Oswal Pankaj family, a powerful Indian family in Switzerland.

It is alleged that while in Switzerland, he asked to return to India to be with his family after working for the Oswal family for seven years but his employers declined his request.

According to Mr Vishnu Menaria, one of Mr Menaria’s sons, his father informed the Swiss Police that his liberties were being denied and he was being mistreated. The Swiss Police contacted his employers who denied the allegations.

His employer then reportedly flew him to Uganda on a private jet, a trip Mr Menaria told his family in India about.

After arriving in Uganda, the family lost contact with him, which raised concerns. They then contacted his employer to try and reach him, but they didn’t get a clear answer.

Mr Vishnu said they were unable to reach their father for two months.

“I came to Uganda looking for my father because we have not heard from him for over two months now. The last time we heard from him was when he informed us that he had travelled from Switzerland to Uganda with his employer, the Oswal Pankaj family,” Mr Vishnu said. 

Police investigators got a tip that Mr Menaira was taken to a factory owned by the Oswal family in Luweero District.

Police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke on October 2 said Mr Menaria’s son, police and Interpol officers visited the factory to recover him but were originally blocked from entering for a long time.

When they were eventually allowed in, Mr Rusoke said, Mr Menaira had allegedly already been taken out through a hole in the fence and driven to an unknown place.

The police were able to identify the vehicle used, which was tracked to Mutukula Township at the Uganda-Tanzania border.

“We have information that they are trying to sneak him out of the country to Tanzania and we have alerted all the border point police to ensure that the victim does not cross the border,” Mr Rusoke said.

The police then arrested Vasundhara Oswal, the daughter of the owner of the factory, and Rita Ngabire, a lawyer, on allegations of kidnapping. They were produced in Luweero Chief Magistrate’s Court where they were charged with kidnap on Friday before they were remanded to prison.

Mr Pankaj Oswal, Vasundhara’s father, tried to secure her bail in vain.

On October 8, Mr Oswal published a letter in the form of a paid advertisement in the New Vision newspaper, in which he explained the issue and appealed to President Museveni to intervene for the release of his daughter.

He said Mr Menaria was a crew member on the family jet and that four months ago, his wife noticed that some of her jewellery, which had been kept in a cabinet on the plane, were missing.

“In early August, I conducted a surprise check on his [Menaria] belongings as well as those of other crew members. To my astonishment, I found the jewellery that my wife had reported missing were in his bag. I informed him that I would terminate his employment and requested repayment of a $200,000 loan,” he said.

Mr Oswal said chef Menaria got a $200,000 loan to process his St Lucian passport and that during a visit to Uganda, Mr Menaria fled from the Luweero factory. 

He said during the arrest and detention of his daughter, her rights were abused.

“The treatment of an investor who has committed $100 million to set up the largest ethanol plant in East and Central Africa is disheartening. I find myself regretting my decision to come to Uganda, feeling as though I am being punished for building this state-of-the-art facility contributing to the Ugandan community with my hard-earned investment,” Mr Oswal said.

He said the prison facility where his daughter is being held is in such a poor condition that he has spent $100,000 to upgrade it to meet basic standards.

“It pains me to present that I have already spent $100,000 to improve her condition in prison with little to show for it. Corruption runs rampant in Uganda, and today I feel immense sorrow for sending my daughter to invest in your beautiful country,” he added.

Daily Monitor couldn’t verify the allegation made by Mr Oswal regarding Mr Menaria and his daughter’s arrest.

The Uganda Police Force has yet to contact Mr Menaria in Tanzania, according to security agencies.

Mr Menaria’s statement with the police is important to sustain the kidnap case in court. It isn’t yet clear whether Mr Menaria is willing to return to Uganda to pursue the offence against his employers.

Mr Rajmal said Mr Menaria is depressed due to the ordeal he has endured.

“He said the police told him that his bosses opened a theft case against him which they claim happened in Dar es Salaam. They are doing this because they know he has no support in Tanzania," Mr Rajmal said.