Nagpur engineer in Mali jail for year over unpaid Rs 3 crore bail bond; wife alleges inaction by Noida firm

NAGPUR: Exactly a year after his arrest in Mali, a 42-year-old engineer from Nagpur, Nitin Gulhane, continues to languish in prison, despite securing bail 5 months ago as the Noida firm which deputed him to the West African nation is yet to pay the 3.25cr bail bond.

A project manager with Noida-based Aar Ess Exim Pvt Ltd (AEEPL), Gulhane was arrested in Bamako on February 25, last year, just four days after returning to Mali to resume work. He had taken a work break as the project was halted due to rains.


According to his wife, Priyanka Gulhane, and his brother-in-law, Gaurav Choudhari, the arrest stemmed from a financial dispute between the Noida company and its African partner, Energie du Mali, over the validity of bank guarantees linked to hydropower and rural electrification projects. The family raised the matter with the ministry of external affairs and is currently camping in Delhi.

Gulhane oversaw electrification of 22 villages in Djenne on behalf of the firm. Priyanka said tendering for the project was done much before he took the Mali assignment in November 2022. "My husband was neither involved nor had the decision-making authority in financial matters. His role was limited to execution of the project in line with specifications, timelines and budgets," she said.

He was taken into custody with AEEPL director Rajesh Ramachandran after a meeting convened by the Malian entity. On August 15, 2025, Gulhane was granted bail on a bond of roughly 3.25 crore — but the amount was not deposited. Ramachandran did not receive bail.

Gaurav said she approached the company's office in Noida, officials at South Block, the Indian Mission in Mali, and Union minister Nitin Gadkari, citing their shared Nagpur connection. "I made repeated requests to the AEEPL management, but no effort was made by the employer to facilitate this bail," she said.

His wife expressed concern over her husband's health, stating, "My husband is a heart patient and suffers from diabetes and hypertension. His health deteriorated in prison due to inadequate medical care. Continued detention poses a grave threat to his life." Priyanka, who lives in Nagpur with their 2 children, said the company paid only half his salary since the arrest and she often had to request funds for his medical treatment in Kenioroba Prison.

In September, officials in the ministry's Central and West Africa division met AEEPL managing director Rajendra Mishra. "Since that meeting, Mishra has been postponing the deadline given by the ministry and giving excuses for not arranging the bail amount. Authorities should extend diplomatic and legal support to my husband," she said.

Mishra, however, told TOI he was busy in a meeting and therefore could not offer his comments. TOI tried calling him again, but he said he would respond on Wednesday. However, he didn't. Efforts to contact Indian embassy officials in Mali did not bear fruit, as they kept passing the responsibility to other officials.

Gulhane's wife said the entire case arose due to the company's decisions and technical errors. The court in Mali did not hold her husband responsible and granted him bail. However, despite repeated assurances, the company failed to deposit the bail amount, she said.

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