NEW DELHI: Seven days after an eight-year-old girl was abducted by her father, a US citizen, from a posh Delhi hotel to Nepal, the high court on Friday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take steps for issuance of an open-ended non-bailable warrant and Red Corner Notice (RCN) by Interpol against him.
The order was issued by a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Rajnish Bhatnagar of the Delhi High Court.
In its order, the court observed Karan and Jasleen Goel, the father and grandmother of the girl, took her to Nepal under “false pretences”, which amounted to contempt of the court.
“We consider it expedient to direct the CBI to take steps for issuance of open-ended non-bailable warrants against the said persons and further take necessary steps for issuance of Red Corner Notice, in accordance with law, and in terms of the extradition treaty that exists between the Government of Republic of India and the Government of Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, against Karan Goel, so as to secure his presence before this court,” the order reads.
READ MORE: Interpol Issues Yellow Notice For 8-Yr-Old Girl Abducted By NRI Father From Delhi
It also directed Karan to produce the minor school-going daughter of the estranged couple before the court on the next date of hearing on May 17.
The order came a day after Interpol or International Criminal Police Organisation issued a yellow notice for the girl.
Interpol issues yellow notices on the request of member countries to locate missing persons. Red Corner Notices are a global request to arrest an absconder. It is published for victims of parental abductions, criminal abductions (kidnappings), or unexplained disappearances.
Petitioner Kanika and her estranged husband Karan are fighting a legal battle in India as well as the US over the custody of their minor daughter.
The girl was abducted by the duo with the help of three US citizens from Hyatt Residency Hotel in Delhi’s Aerocity on April 15. They took her to Nepal via road on April 16.
On April 17, a case of kidnapping was registered at the Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport police station on the complaint of her mother Kanika Goel.
The matter came to light after Kanika approached the high court alleging the abduction of her daughter.
In her complaint, Kanika alleged that as per the high court order, she had led the girl to her father and grandmother at Hyatt Hotel on April 13. The booking at the hotel was till April 18.
“As per the court orders, she was constantly in touch with me via the cell phone I had given her. My last call with my daughter was at 9 pm on April 15 and I have not been able to contact her as her phone was not reachable,” Kanika stated in her complaint.
She further said that even her father and grandmother’s cell phones have been not reachable since the night of April 15.
“On not being able to contact my daughter, I reached the hotel on April 16 and seek assistance to speak to my daughter. However, they were not in the hotel as informed by the staff, but had also not checked out. Then I called the police for assistance,” she alleged.
She further said, “Due to police intervention, we were able to see hotel CCTV footage, which showed that Karan and Jasleen picked up my daughter at 10.45 pm on April 15 and they have not returned to the hotel since then and are completely untraceable,” the complaint read.
“On further inquiry from the police, it has come to our knowledge that Karan along with her mother has crossed the Indo-Nepal through Banbassa on the morning of April 16,” she said in her complaint.