The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre and the Consulate General of India in Dubai to immediately intervene to ensure the safety of a 25-year-old Indian woman who is allegedly being held captive in the UAE by a foreign national.
Justice Sachin Datta, in an order passed on November 26, directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Consulate to verify the allegations and take all necessary measures to safeguard the woman, including facilitating her return to India if she wishes to come back.
“Given the gravity of the situation, the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and the Consulate General of India in Dubai, UAE are directed to take immediate steps to ensure the safety and well-being of the petitioner’s daughter and verify the allegations made in the present petition,” the court said.
The authorities have been asked to file a status report within two weeks. The matter will be taken up next on December 15.
The court was hearing a petition filed by V. Thirunavukkarasu, who sought urgent directions to the MEA to act on his representation and repatriate his daughter from Dubai. According to him, the woman, a nurse by profession, met the foreign national when he was admitted for treatment at a Chennai hospital where she worked.
The petitioner said the man offered her a one-year medical assistance job in Dubai, and she travelled there in January 2023. Over time, communication with the family reportedly diminished. He claimed that for nearly two years, she was not allowed to return to India and that the man had allegedly confiscated her passport and visa to restrict her movement.
In October, the father said he received a distress call from his daughter, who allegedly reported physical abuse and deprivation of basic necessities. He also produced photographs before the court that the woman had sent, showing injuries.
Thirunavukkarasu told the court that he had already approached the Consulate General of India in Dubai in November, but with no effective response forthcoming, he was forced to move the High Court.
The court has now placed the responsibility on Indian authorities to act urgently and report back.
