NEW DELHI: Nearly a year after Russian national Viktoriia Basu allegedly left India with her minor son despite a Supreme Court-mandated shared custody arrangement, Delhi Police have secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice against her and initiated extradition proceedings through Russian authorities, according to a status report filed before a Delhi court.The Action Taken Report (ATR), submitted by Defence Colony police station before Judicial Magistrate Deepakshi Rana at Saket Courts, states that an extradition request has been forwarded to ministry of home affairs (MHA) for processing through ministry of external affairs (MEA) and Indian Embassy in Moscow.The Red Corner Notice has been issued to facilitate international tracking of Basu.The report also details the investigation into an alleged associate. According to T Jaiswal, counsel for complainant Saikat Basu, police have approached Yash Raj Films seeking details about co-accused Natasha, who is suspected of helping Viktoriia flee India.Her examination will be conducted after the company responds. Meanwhile, the investigating officer has sought additional time to file the final report, stating that documents submitted by the complainant are still under scrutiny.The case arises out of a custody dispute between Saikat Basu and Viktoriia, who moved to India in 2019 after their marriage.Following the breakdown of the marriage, Viktoriia approached Supreme Court in 2023 seeking full custody of their son, born on Oct 29, 2020.In May 2025, Supreme Court ordered a shared custody arrangement, extended Viktoriia’s visa and directed police to maintain vigilance at her residence.However, in July that year, Saikat informed the court that she had gone missing with the child, prompting a search operation and intervention by ministry of external affairs.An earlier status report had flagged discrepancies in travel records received from Nepal. According to those records, Viktoriia and the child entered Nepal through Birgunj on July 11, 2025, with Russia shown as their place of origin.Investigators, however, suspect they entered Nepal through a jungle route with the assistance of co-accused Samir Ansari. Russian authorities had earlier informed Delhi Police that the mother and child were “not traceable”.The latest ATR also records a separate complaint alleging that Viktoriia and her mother, Olga Zhigalina, left their home on March 13, 2023, leaving the child behind and exposing him to health risks through negligence.Police have sought additional time to complete the investigation.
