Nagpur: A 42-year-old project manager from Nagpur, Nitin Gulhane, has been lodged in a prison in Mali for almost a year following a financial dispute between his employer and a local partner company, with his family alleging that despite securing bail months ago, he remains incarcerated due to non-payment of the bond amount.
Gulhane, employed with New Delhi-based Aar Ess Exim Pvt Ltd (AEEPL), was overseeing the electrification of 22 villages in Djenne, Mali, on behalf of the company. He had joined AEEPL in June 2022 and was posted to Mali in November that year after the tendering process for the project had already been completed.
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Arrest after official meeting
According to his wife Priyanka Gulhane, Nitin had returned to Mali’s capital Bamako on February 21, 2025, after spending time in Nagpur for the birth of their second child and undergoing an angioplasty procedure. Four days later, on February 25, he was arrested following a meeting reportedly called by Mali’s state-run power utility, Énergie du Mali.
The arrest stemmed from a complaint filed by Énergie du Mali over the alleged validity of certain bank guarantees furnished by AEEPL. Gulhane was taken into custody along with AEEPL Vice-President Rajesh Ramachandran.
Priyanka maintains that her husband had no role in arranging or approving bank guarantees. “His responsibility was limited strictly to project execution as per specifications, timelines and budgets. He had no decision-making authority in financial matters,” she said.
Bail granted, but no release
On August 15, 2025, Gulhane was granted bail on a bond of FCFA 200 million (approximately Rs3.25 crore). However, according to his family, the bail amount has not been deposited by his employer despite repeated assurances. As a result, he continues to remain in custody at Kenioroba Prison. No bail relief has reportedly been granted to Ramachandran.
Priyanka alleges that she has approached AEEPL’s management in Noida multiple times, as well as officials at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), including its Central and West Africa division. She has also sought help from Nitin Gadkari, citing their common Nagpur connection.
“In September, MEA officials met the company’s Managing Director Rajendra Mishra, but since then there has been no progress. The deadline given by the ministry has been repeatedly postponed,” she said.
Health concerns and financial strain
Priyanka has raised serious concerns about her husband’s health, stating that he is a heart patient with diabetes and hypertension and has a history of angioplasty. “His condition has deteriorated due to inadequate medical care in prison. Continued detention poses a grave threat to his life,” she said.
She further claimed that since his arrest, AEEPL has been paying only half of his salary, and she has had to repeatedly request the company to cover his medical expenses in Mali.
The family, which resides in Nagpur, is struggling financially. “We are a middle-class family with two young children. We cannot arrange such a huge bail amount ourselves,” Priyanka said.
Company and MEA Response
AEEPL Managing Director Rajendra Mishra stated that the company is awaiting official communication and a certified copy of the court order before taking a decision in consultation with its lawyers. “We are keeping the Ministry apprised,” he said.
Sources in the MEA indicated that the ministry is in touch with the Malian authorities and the company to address the matter, though no official statement was issued.
A family’s appeal
Recalling their time in Mali, Priyanka said the family had spent nearly two years there without incident. Trouble reportedly began when differences emerged between AEEPL and its Malian partner in mid-2024, around the time she was in the final trimester of her pregnancy and returned to Nagpur for delivery.
“He had gone there for an official project meeting attended by senior officials and company representatives. After the meeting ended, he was suddenly arrested. For two to three months, we had almost no communication,” she said.
Priyanka has now made a public appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking diplomatic and legal intervention. “Despite having no fault, my husband has suffered for nearly a year. I humbly request the Prime Minister to please take note and help secure his release,” she said.
Gulhane, the eldest in his family and its primary breadwinner for the past 15 years, had taken up the overseas assignment in West Africa for better financial prospects. Today, his family waits in Nagpur, hoping for his safe return.
Priyanka Gulhane says, “He (referring to her husband Nitin) had gone there for a meeting. Nitin, my husband, has been in jail for almost a year. It was a large-scale project meeting attended by senior officials and company owners. He had been officially invited by the government there. After the meeting ended, as he stepped out, he was suddenly arrested. We were not informed and assumed he was busy in the meeting. Two days later, his colleague Mohammad Ali called and told us that Nitin and others had been arrested”.
“We were completely shocked and had no information about the reason. For nearly two to three months, there was almost no communication… The company owner initially assured us that Nitin had done nothing wrong and that he would handle everything. Bail was granted on August 15, but till date, the bail amount has not been deposited. The owner continues to give excuses, saying he is trying to arrange the money.”
“We approached Nitin Gadkari’s office through personal contacts… Emails were sent, but the response remains the same: ‘I am trying’. No action has been taken. Despite having no fault, my husband has suffered for a year. We are a middle-class family with young children and cannot afford such a huge amount. I humbly appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to please take note of this and help us.”
