After almost a decade, the infamous Insiya Hemani case was brought up when Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten personally mentioned the unresolved kidnapping with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during bilateral discussions in the Netherlands, making the case reappear at the highest diplomatic levels.
Jetten confirmed that he personally brought up the matter with PM Modi during bilateral talks, bringing the case back into the diplomatic spotlight nearly 10 years after two-year-old Insiya Hemani was allegedly kidnapped from Amsterdam and transported to India.
Speaking at joint meetings in the Dutch prime minister’s official residence, the Catshuis, Jetten suggested that the growing India-Netherlands partnership should also make room for challenging discussions.
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Dutch PM in a social media post, while confirming about the mention of this high-profile case posted, “At times of international uncertainty, it’s especially important that we can rely on like-minded and valued partners. Both India and the Netherlands attach great importance to democracy, good governance and a world order based on rules and justice.”
“My discussion with Prime Minister @narendramodi this evening included the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has resulted in high energy prices. As in the Netherlands, the impact on India has been severe too. So it’s vital that this conflict bebrought to an end and that a lasting solution be found. We also spoke about the case regarding the abduction of Insiya to India by her father,” Dutch PM stated in his post.
At times of international uncertainty, it’s especially important that we can rely on like-minded and valued partners. Both India and the Netherlands attach great importance to democracy, good governance and a world order based on rules and justice.
My discussion with Prime… pic.twitter.com/QjH59kZnMl
— Rob Jetten (@MinPres) May 16, 2026
A well-known international parental child abduction case involving the Netherlands and India, Insiya Hemani, a young Dutch citizen, was brutally abducted in Amsterdam when she was just two years old. Her father has been detaining her in India since 2016, after she was taken out of Europe.
One of the Netherlands’ most delicate unresolved international child abduction cases has persisted for a long time. Dutch authorities have consistently maintained that this is a criminal kidnapping operation, including planning, violence, and cross-border collaboration rather than a dispute for parental custody.
The matter reappeared in public during Modi’s May 15-17 visit to the Netherlands, where the Dutch government and India established a more comprehensive strategic alliance and discussed controversial bilateral issues in private.
Insiya Hemani, who was only two years old at the time, was allegedly kidnapped from her grandmother’s home in Amsterdam-Oost in a planned operation carried out on behalf of her father, Shehzad Hemani, according to Dutch authorities and court rulings.
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Later, Dutch prosecutors said that multiple people broke into the house and took the youngster away in broad daylight.
An electroshock device was allegedly used against Insiya’s aunt and a neighbour who attempted to interfere during the event, according to the authorities.
Insiya was later moved through Germany before being taken to India, according to Dutch court proceedings.
She is said to have stayed in India with her father ever since.
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