Red Corner notice against Russian woman who fled India with son despite joint custody order

A Red Corner notice has been issued against Russian national Viktoriia Basu, who allegedly left India with her minor son last year after the Supreme Court granted joint custody to both parents, Delhi Police told the Saket court on Thursday.

Police also informed the court that they had sought her extradition through the ministry of external affairs (MEA) and the Indian embassy in Moscow.

Notably, a Red Corner Notice is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action. Each member country decides whether to make an arrest under its own laws.

What is the case about?

An FIR was registered at Delhi's Defence Colony police station in 2025 following a complaint by Saikat Basu, who married Viktoriia in 2017. The couple's son was born on October 29, 2020.

Viktoriia, who came to India in 2019, approached the court in 2023 seeking full custody of her son after the marriage broke down.

After attempts to reconcile the couple failed, the Supreme Court approved a shared-custody arrangement in May, allowing each parent to spend three days a week with the child. It also extended Viktoriia's visa and directed Delhi Police to keep her residence under watch.

However, on July 7 that year, her husband informed the court that she had gone missing with their son. This led to a search by law enforcement agencies and intervention by the MEA.

The matter is pending before the Saket District Court. On Thursday, Delhi Police filed a status report before Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Deepakshi Rana.

Seeking more time, police told the court that a formal extradition request had been sent to the ministry of home affairs (MHA) for action through the MEA and the Indian embassy in Moscow. The request seeks to trace Viktoriia, the main accused in the FIR registered on the basis of Saikat Basu's complaint.

Police said they were examining the documents submitted by the complainant to determine the further action required.

What Russian embassy said earlier

In November last year, the Russian embassy said it was in close contact with Indian authorities over the matter.

The Russian embassy “implements its priority duties to ensure and defend rights and legitimate interests of Russian citizens in full accordance with the Indian legislation”, the statement said. “With regard to the matter of Ms Basu, we maintain close contact with the competent Indian authorities,” it said.

Police had also submitted evidence alleging that two Russian embassy officials, Albert Shtoda and Arthur Gerbst, helped arrange a vehicle for Viktoriia when she went missing on July 7. The vehicle reportedly took her to the India-Nepal border in Bihar, from where she travelled to Russia via Sharjah.