LUCKNOW: Almost a month after his arrest in Albania, Lucknow lad Nitin Mishra was able to make a phone call to his family.
His elder sister Naina Mishra told TOI that the WhatsApp call lasted 30 seconds, during which, her brother told her that he was yet to get consular access and was not aware of the charges that have been slapped on him. He didn’t even know where in Albania he was presently kept. Naina told TOI that her brother was allegedly served beef in the meal.
Raising concerns about the safety of her brother, she said that her brother was “somehow” able to make a call. “When I tried to ask more questions and talk, the call got snapped,” she said.
She added that they were yet to get any further response from the embassy which had last said that they would send a request to the Albanian foreign ministry seeking details of Nitin Mishra’s arrest, and sought consular access for him on November 7.
The family of Lucknow businessman Nitin Mishra had met defence minister Rajnath Singh, who is Lucknow MP, in Delhi seeking intervention by the Indian government and a fair representation for him on November 5.
UK-based lawyer Harjot Singh, who has been handling the case, said that they were looking for local Albanian lawyers and will soon ensure that he gets representation.
Nitin was first arrested in Tirana on October 14 supposedly on charges of drug trafficking. The Albanian police reportedly acted in coordination with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He has been remanded to police custody pending his possible extradition to the US. The family came to know about his arrest through an Albanian English newspaper. They never got any formal communication from Albanian authorities or the police about the arrest.