New Delhi: On the evening of May 14, a person texted this journalist detailing physical violence and extortion targeting African women awaiting deportation at Delhi’s foreign women detention centre. Afraid of repercussions, the person requested anonymity.The next morning, two women – one a Tanzanian and another a Nigerian national – texted. Unlike the first tip, these messages included videos and information pointing to possible wrongdoing inside the facility. They contacted this journalist to seek protection from an officer who was allegedly harassing them.“Can you help us? Can you come on 19th May and take us to the airport?” asked the Nigerian woman in the text to this journalist.Both the African women had flights scheduled for May 20. The Nigerian national possessed a valid Emergency Travel Certificate (TC) and exit permit, whereas the Tanzania had a valid passport and a TC, and was waiting for her final exit permit to be issued on May 18. In India, if a foreign national loses their passport or has an expired one, their embassy issues a TC to facilitate return to their country of origin. However, an exit permit from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) is mandatory, indicating that there are no legal or immigration concerns before departing. Despite having these documents, the officer in-charge of the facility – known to detainees as “the boss” – warned them that they wouldn’t be allowed to board their flight until they paid a cash “penalty for overstaying”.Extortion and assaultUnder the Immigration and Foreigners’ Act, 2025, overstay penalties range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 3,00,000 depending on the duration of the violation, with fines increasing as the period of overstay lengthens. A circular issued by the Nigerian high commission in Delhi underlining that until May end, foreigners who are overstaying in India and have a valid Emergency TC and exit permit could leave the country without paying any fine. Photo by arrangement.Until May 31, those with a valid Emergency TC and exit permit could leave India without paying any penalty. In separate text messages shared with The Wire, both women said that the “boss” unofficially demanded Rs 50,000 to 1 lakh in cash from each of them as an “overstaying fee”. Here, overstaying fee is indicative of an illegal amount charged as penalty from foreigners who overstay in India after the expiration of their visas and passports.The Tanzanian woman revealed that the officer physically assaulted her for challenging his unjustified demand. She also stated she was denied medical care afterward. The women said they didn’t know the officer’s real name and were too traumatised to ask. Also read: Supreme Court Constitutes Committee to Develop Pan-India SOP on Human TraffickingThe identity of the officer, however, was revealed when another anonymous person sent images of the man in question to this journalist on May 18.This journalist verified the photographs and the officer was identified as Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ashish Kumar. The women later confirmed that he was the same person who had demanded money from them and allegedly assaulted the Tanzanian detainee.When contacted, Kumar defended the use of force inside the facility. “Yes, I keep a stick with me all the time. I hit them when they attack us,” he told The Wire over a telephonic conversation, claiming that some detainees become violent and at times even take staff members hostage, making the situation “unmanageable”. ‘Beaten with wooden stick’On May 12, Laila (name changed), the 31-year-old from Tanzania, stepped outside the detention centre with another woman to collect food they had ordered when the officer stopped her and demanded the “penalty.” She showed him her airline ticket and explained that she already had a valid passport and TC, and was only waiting for the FRRO exit permit.“The boss told me to pay Rs 1 lakh as penalty. When I told him I don’t have the money and that I don’t have any legal case against me to pay [fine], he got angry and beat me with a wooden stick outside,” Laila told The Wire. When Laila protested, the demand was reportedly lowered to Rs 50,000, but the officer insisted she paid the amount.“I asked him why he had beaten me. He explained that it was because I called him out for being wrong. I still don’t understand why he beat me like that. I told him I could break his phone and hand,” Laila said.Laila shared videos of her injuries. In the footage, one side of her face appeared swollen, with bleeding near the ear. A large bruise was visible on her leg, while her arm was bleeding due to a wound. Nina (name changed), the 35-year-old Nigerian woman who is 10 weeks pregnant, described her ordeal through a series of text messages.“On May 14, I went to meet the boss and showed him all my documents. But he told me to take my documents to the police station and submit them there. Even after seeing all my papers, he still wanted to beat me with a big stick,” Nina told The Wire. She added,“When my agent went to collect my TC from the embassy, they said only the boss could take it. Later, the boss asked me to pay Rs 1 lakh, [saying otherwise] I would not be allowed to travel on May 20.” Laila and Nina alleged that this is a systemic pattern targeting African women. They recounted the case of a Ugandan detainee who was harassed and only allowed to leave for the airport after she paid Rs 35,000 to this officer, after he initially demanded Rs 1 lakh.“The Ugandan cried a lot, and was allowed to go after she paid the amount [Rs 35,000],” shared Laila. ‘Do it because they attack us’“I don’t beat them because I have the right to. I do it because they attack us,” Kumar said in defence. “There are children as well. Who will take responsibility if they die because of the fights?” Despite the gravity of the accusations, Kumar dismissed the incidents as rare occurrences. “I have helped 200 women. Out of those, one or two [detainees] appear to be stubborn sometimes,” he said.Kumar then labelled a deeply racist and sexist allegation against the African women. “These people know only two things – prostitution and selling intoxicating items,” he said over the phone.On May 15, Nina sent an email to the Nigerian Embassy. However, no action has been taken by the embassy authorities, according to the women.On May 18, The Wire emailed the assistant commissioner of police (ACP) for the FRRO office in Delhi, Delhi Police, Bureau of Immigration India and Tanzania High Commission in India requesting response on allegations of extortion and violence by African women detainees against the officer in charge. The story will be updated when The Wire receives a response from these authorities.On the same day, an official from the FRRO office, whose name and designation couldn’t be ascertained by The Wire, told this journalist over telephone that the branch or agency concerned will first investigate the matter pertaining to the allegations of assault and extortion and take necessary action. “However, the complainant would not be informed about the inquiry or its outcome,” the official clarified. It was not clear whether he was talking about an official inquiry. On May 20, Nina boarded her flight to Nigeria and returned home. Laila, whose exit permit was delayed until May 22, rescheduled her flight and left India on May 23. She is now back in Tanzania.More complaints surfacingFor the women still inside the detention centre tensions are mounting as May 31 was the deadline post which foreign citizens who overstay their visas in India face severe penalties and possible legal action. Several African women who were detained for visa overstays told this journalist that they have valid travel documents, but cannot afford return tickets.Many of them alleged that money was unofficially “demanded from them” for exit. One woman claimed “the boss” had already taken money from her in December for her flight ticket, while another feared consequences for speaking out against him, “he might harm us.”Some women allege that “the boss has promised” they will leave in early June now. On May 27, when Impulse NGO Network, an anti-human trafficking organisation based in India, contacted Kumar seeking information about the remaining African women detainees, he allegedly denied having any in the facility. However, the women quickly debunked this lie by sharing videos from inside the detention centre.“Yes, we are inside. He [the officer] is not a good man. He likes taking money from us,” shared a woman.Pari Saikia is an independent human trafficking journalist who reports from Southeast Asia and Europe.