Father could face 9 years for Amsterdam girl's abduction

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) demanded 9 years in prison against Shehzad Hemani for the abduction of his now 6-year-old daughter Insiya from Amsterdam in 2016. The Dutch authorities were unable to bring Hemani to the Netherlands for his trial, so he was tried in absentia. As far as is known, Hemani and Insiya are both in India, NU.nl reports.

Hemani's cousin Imran S. is believed to be one of the men who abducted the then 2 year old girl from her grandmother's Amsterdam apartment on 29 September 2016. The Prosecutor demanded 4 years in prison against him. 

Inisya's mother, Nadia Rashid, spoke in court, Het Parool reports. "On the day of the abduction, Insiya said: 'see you mom'. It's been years now. There is not a day that I do not think about it. It's an unhealthy obsession of her farther to teach me a lesson," she said. 

"Hemani does not have Insiya's interests at heart. We have only been able to speak three times. The last time was in 2018. Insiya knew then that I am her mommy and showed me her hair and her dress and that she could braid her hair," Rashid said.

Hemani filed multiple lawsuits against Rashid in India. "He twists the facts and portrays me as an ogre. This is not the story of a desperate father. I am intimidated by Hemani every day. My family and friends are harassed and warned. He sends threatening letters to the media and officials."

"Our family life has been destroyed. No hugs or kisses have been given for four years," Rashid said with tears streaming down her face. "Insiya can't tell me how her day was, what she wants for dinner what stories mom should read. She hasn't seen mommy celebrating her birthday every year, even though she's thousands of miles away."

"Lost time will not be returned. Soon there will be a ruling and all legal remedies will be over, but the question of when I will get my child back has not been answered. Not knowing when she'll be back is horrible. There is no closure."

Rashid is seeking 11 thousand euros in compensation for material damages, and 15 thousand euros for immaterial damages. She also demanded 10 thousand euros on behalf of her daughter. The girl's grandmother, who was harshly treated and beaten during the abduction, asked for 1 thousand euros.

Last year, the court convicted six other people for abducting Insiya for Hemani, for payment. They were sentenced to up to four years in prison. Five of them appealed.