Kidnapped girl not returning to Netherlands this week

Kidnapped Amsterdam girl Insiya Hemani will not return to the Netherlands this week. Her father Shehzad Hemani appealed against a previous ruling that the 4-year-old girl must be returned to her mother in the Netherlands, and the ruling in this appeal case has been delayed. The Indian authorities are awaiting the ruling before deciding what to do with Insiya, AD reports.

The initial ruling stated that Insiya must be returned to her mother by March 27th. According to the Telegraaf, the appeal ruling was scheduled for last week, but has now been delayed.

"That can take six to eight weeks", Shehzad Hemani said to AD from India. He is convinced that Insiya will eventually live with him permanently.

Insiya's mother Nadia Rashid is extremely disappointed by the delay, according to the Telegraaf.

Insiya Hemani was kidnapped from her grandmother's apartment in Amsterdam in September 2016. The police quickly discovered that her father ordered the abduction, but the then 2-year-old girl had already been spirited away to Mumbai. She's been living there with her father since. A criminal lawsuit is ongoing in the Netherlands against Hemani and seven accomplices suspected of being involved in the kidnapping.

In January Rashid told Dutch media that a court in India ordered Insiya's return to the Netherlands. Shehzad Hemani then claimed that this was a lie.

Hemani and Rashid have been fighting over who gets custody of Insiya for years. Hemani claims that Rashid first kidnapped Insiya by fleeing to the Netherlands with her, according to AD. He recently pressed charges against Rashid in India, resulting in an arrest warrant being issued against her.

According to the Telegraaf, Hemani also pressed charges against Dutch crime reporter John van den Heuvel, claiming that Van den Heuvel is planning to abduct Insiya from his custody. An arrest warrant is also in place against the Dutch reporter in India. Van den Heuvel denies these accusations vehemently.