Citing the case of Mohammed Haneef — arrested on terror charges in Australia and later released following New Delhi’s intervention — Abraham said Jon is a victim of “professional rivalry” and “racial slur” because of his “meteoric rise to fame”.

Abraham is now trying to get an appointment with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the Human Rights Association. She claims she did not get “assurance” from External Affairs Minister for State E Ahmad. “If the Indian government could come forward to help Dr Haneef when he was unjustly accused in Australia, why can they not do the same for my son?” Abraham asked.

“The whole thing started right after The Wall Street Journal evaluated his brand for $10 million,” Abraham claimed. “He was going places in an industry where not many Indians had made any breakthrough. I guess this is a conspiracy by his detractors to pull him down,” she said.

On Thursday, Abraham's daughter Sanjana had convened a press conference in Mumbai, announcing that they had enlisted the help of Mumbai-based lawyer Majeed Memon. “I am sure that if we get the opportunity of a fair trial we could prove that these complaints are baseless,” Sanjana said.