What Happened To Insiya Hemani? Mom Pleads For Return Of Daughter Taken To India
Sophia Edwards A mother has been fighting to get her daughter back after she was abducted nearly six years ago, now she is appealing to the queen of the Netherlands for her support in trying to find and return her daughter.
This all begs many questions, what happened? Who is Insiya Hemani? And what does the queen of the Netherlands and Indian authorities have to do with it?
Insiya Hemani is an 8-year-old girl who was kidnapped from her grandmother’s home in 2016.
At the time, 2-year-old Insiya Hemani was with her grandmother in Amsterdam in September of 2016 while her mother briefly left the house.
A group of men grabbed Hemani and took her away from her grandmother and violently assaulted the elderly woman. An alert was put out and a search for the missing girl began, but authorities were unable to find her before the men smuggled her out of the Netherlands without her passport.
A police investigation later confirmed that the group of men was sent by Hemani’s father, Shehzad Hemani. Several people involved with the kidnapping have been tried and convicted for their involvement and sentenced to prison.
Among the convicted was Shehzad Hemani himself, who was tried in absentia and will serve nine years in Dutch prison if authorities can catch up with him.
Insiya has been illegally held in India for almost six years.
The now 8-year-old girl has been held by her kidnappers ever since she was kidnapped in 2016 and, despite the best efforts of her mother, Nadia Rashid, she isn’t much closer to coming home.
Reports from the neighbors who live nearby where Insiya is held captive have claimed to hear her crying day and night.
Rashid actually had success in getting a judge to require that she be allowed to come to get Insiya in March of 2018. Obviously, that didn’t end up happening as an appeal from the kidnappers obstructed the decision.
RELATED: Louisiana's Operation 'Fresh Start' Uncovers Alleged Sex Trafficking Ring & Rescues 16 Missing Kids
Now, Rashid is calling on the Queen of the Netherlands for her help in convincing Indian authorities to return Insiya.
With a meeting between the leadership of both India and the Netherlands imminent, Rashid reached out to the queen of the Netherlands for help. In a letter and video sent to the Dutch monarch, Rashid said, “I believe that your support and your commitment can bring Insiya back to the Netherlands, home.”
A video posted to the Bring Insiya Back TikTok account actually shows an in-person encounter between Rashid and the Dutch Queen, in which Queen Máxima shook Rashid’s hand and said, “Let me put it this way; as a mother, I cannot imagine what you must be going through right now.”
Related Stories From YourTango:Insiya Hemani's mother has not had any contact with her daughter in the last six years and has only heard of her condition through others. Hopefully, either through the Dutch Queen or other means, Insiya will soon be returned home.
Dan O'Reilly is a writer who covers news, politics, and social justice. Follow him on Twitter.
