Princess Mystery: UN body writes to India on Abduction of Dubai Princess Sheikha Latifa
United Nations, Dec 7: A UN body on enforced disappearances has communicated to India on the case of one of the daughters of Dubai's ruler, who was allegedly abducted in March aboard a US-flagged yacht off the Indian coast while attempting to flee from the UAE.
Princess Sheikha Latifa is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and the prime minister of the UAE. She is one of the 30 children who tried to escape in March after complaining she was effectively being held prisoner by her repressive father.
She fled across the border to Oman with the help of a friend, before boarding a boat to meet French national Herve Jaubert, who had himself managed to successfully escape the Emirates in 2010.
The boat set sail for the Indian coast but was intercepted by three Indian and two Emirati warships - with Jaubert claiming he and his crew were beaten by commandos before Latifa was whisked away, 'The Telegraph' reported.
There was no immediate comment from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Coast Guard.
The Human Rights Council's Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, in its report dated August 16, 2018 on 'Communications, cases examined, observations and other activities', said it has transmitted to India a copy of the case of Latifa.
It said on May 2, 2018, the Working Group, under its urgent action procedure, transmitted to the Government of the UAE the case of Latifa "allegedly abducted on March 4, 2018 aboard a United States-flagged yacht, off the Indian coast while attempting to flee from Dubai, by Indian military and security services, as well as coast guards, and reportedly handed over to the authorities of the UAE".
The report added "her fate and whereabouts remain unknown".
An email to the Geneva-based Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances seeking comment on the case was not immediately answered.
Rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a statement in May this year, said that the UAE authorities had intercepted Latifa in March as she tried to flee by sea to a third country, and returned her to the UAE.
Latifa had told friends that she wished to flee restrictions imposed by her family, the rights group said.
The group said Tiina Jauhiainen, a Finnish citizen and a former Dubai resident for 17 years, told it that she met Latifa in 2010 and developed a long-term friendship with her.
Jauhiainen said she and Latifa left the UAE on February 24. Later that day, they joined Jaubert on his private boat, sailing toward southeast Asia.
Jauhiainen said that on March 4 the boat stopped 50 miles off the coast of Goa, according to the HRW statement.
"She was told about the location by Jaubert. At around 10 pm she and Latifa were below deck when they heard shouting and gunfire and locked themselves in the bathroom. The cabin filled with gas, forcing them onto the deck," it said.
Jauhiainen said that she saw several boats around their boat. Men boarded their boat, pointed guns at her, forced her to the ground, and tied her hands behind her back, according to the HRW statement.
She said the men kept shouting in English, "Who is Latifa?", adding that she later heard Latifa, whom she could not see, trying to break free and repeatedly shouting that she wanted to claim asylum.
She said the men removed Latifa from the boat, the statement said. It appeared that Jaubert and the crew had been mistreated, Jauhiainen said, describing Joubert's face as "bloody" and "unrecognisable".
Jauhiainen told the Human Rights Watch that the Indian Coast Guard participated in the raid in coordination with the UAE authorities.
The Working Group was established by the then UN Commission on Human Rights in 1980 to assist families in determining the fate and whereabouts of disappeared relatives.
Meanwhile, the Dubai government said in a statement that Latifa was with her family.
"Her Highness Sheikha Latifa is now safe in Dubai," read a statement released on Thursday by Dubai's Royal Court.
"She and her family are looking forward to celebrating her birthday today (sic), in privacy and peace, and to building a happy and stable future for her," The Telegraph quoted the statement as saying.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Crime scene recreated in rape-murder case of IRS officer's daughter; potency test conducted
New Delhi (PTI): Crime scene recreation was carried out by investigators on Saturday at the southeast Delhi residence where the 22-year-old daughter of a senior IRS officer was allegedly raped and murdered on April 22, police sources said.
The investigators are working to piece together the exact sequence of events and have conducted a detailed mapping of the crime scene.
They are also collecting "minute-to-minute" information regarding the accused, starting from Alwar, where he allegedly committed a rape, to the Delhi crime, the police sources said.
An iPhone stolen from the victim in Delhi has been recovered from a park, while a potency test of the accused has been conducted as part of the rape investigation, they said.
"Crime and forensic teams recreated the sequence of events inside the house for over two hours to establish how the crime unfolded. Every single minute detail has been recreated," the source said.
Access to the house was cordoned off, with a heavy police presence in and around the premises during the exercise.
The 22-year-old woman, an engineering graduate and UPSC aspirant, was fatally attacked at her residence in southeast Delhi's Kailash Hills locality on Wednesday morning.
Rahul Meena, who had been a domestic help at the residence but was fired over financial misconduct, used his familiarity with the house layout and access points to enter the flat.
Citing the investigation, sources said Meena was addicted to online betting and card games such as "teen patti" and had lost over Rs 7 lakh in the last few months, which drove him to frequently borrow money to sustain the habit.
He had been spending his money on prostitution and used to watch porn videos on his mobile phone, besides gambling, they said.
He allegedly went to the rooftop study room where the woman was studying, attacked her with a heavy object, raped her and dragged her downstairs to use her fingers to open a biometric locker and steal cash.
The autopsy confirmed strangulation as the cause of death and found multiple injuries, including a nasal bone fracture, indicating a struggle.
"He fled after changing clothes and slippers, and reached Palam Railway Station to catch a train to Rewari in Haryana. When he failed to catch the train, he booked a hotel in Dwarka, from where he was arrested. More than Rs 1 lakh in cash and stolen jewellery were recovered from his possession," a police officer said.
As part of the probe, the police took the accused to Palam railway station, where he had first gone after the crime, and will also take him to the Dwarka hotel where he stayed briefly before being arrested, sources said.
Investigations have also revealed that Meena was known for aggressive behaviour in his native village in Rajasthan and
"During the inquiry, we came to know that Meena and his father were known in their village for their aggressive behaviour. Our team is there. They are told that his father is an alcoholic and Meena is addicted to online games," a police source said.
Sources said a detailed psychological assessment of the accused will be carried out to evaluate his mental state and behavioural patterns, noting that he has exhibited psychopathic tendencies and a history of violent conduct.
He returned to his native village after being sacked and told his parents that he had left the job, the police source said.
"He never told his parents that he was sacked," the source said.
A senior police officer who interrogated Meena told PTI that he is remorseless and told investigators that the murder "just happened" in a fit of rage.
He told the police, "Agar didi paise de deti to aisa nahi hota" (if didi (the victim) had given the money, this would not have happened), the officer said.
"Chori karne ka afsos nahi par marna nahi chaiye tha, ho gaya (I don't regret committing the theft, but I shouldn't have killed her. It just happened)," Meena told interrogators, according to the officer.
The sources said the accused displayed a strangely calm demeanour after his arrest. "During questioning, he was quite casual. He acted as if everything was normal. Usually, when a person commits a heinous murder, they would display some anxiety, anger, restlessness or remorse. Meena was very casual," said a source.
He said the accused did not react much and only repeated that he wanted money to clear his debts. "We asked him if he regrets what he has done. Meena replied that the family was like god to him, but he wanted money," the source said.
The psychological analysis of the accused will involve clinical evaluation by experts to assess aggression levels, emotional responses and personality traits, including indicators linked to disorders such as anti-social personality disorder, sources said.
Investigators are probing whether the crime was premeditated, with officials saying Meena's psychological profiling will help understand his mental state and reconstruct events.
Meanwhile, family members of the accused are now being questioned as part of the investigation to gather further information about his background and movements prior to the crime.
The police said the accused's custody will end on Monday, and he will be produced again before the court.
"We will request the court to extend his police remand by four days as we need to collect minute-to-minute details of the accused, starting from Alwar crime to Delhi crime," a police source said.
The accused had raped a friend's wife in Rajgarh before heading to Delhi, according to investigators.
