New Delhi: Princess Latifa, daughter of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has for the first time claimed that she was captured by Indian special forces three years ago on a boat off the coast of India.
She also said that despite kicking and screaming that she was seeking political asylum she was tranquilised and carried onto a private jet.
She says the commandos dragged her to an Indian naval ship and then allowed a private jet to fly the drugged captive to her father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.
Latifa’s video messages, apparently sent from the bathroom of the villa in the UAE where she says she is a prisoner fearing for her life, were broadcast on Tuesday night on BBC TV’s flagship Panorama programme.
Latifa had said in an earlier video that she and her brother, Sheikh Majid, had spent their early childhood with their paternal aunt. She was educated at the Dubai English Speaking School, followed by the International School Choueifat and one year at the Latifa School for Girls.
She is said to be an excellent and experienced skydiver, trained by former world champion Stefania Martinengo.