Celina Jaitly Says Brother Detained in UAE for 17 Months

NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor Celina Jaitly has said that her brother, Major (Retd) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly, has been under detention in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the past 17 months.

Celina said her brother, a retired Special Forces officer and former UN peacekeeper, was picked up from a mall in September 2024. She described his detention as “arbitrary” and claimed that for nearly nine months, his location was not shared with the family. She also said there was no formal arrest record and he had no access to legal representation during that period.

Celina said she first received information about the incident around 29 September 2024. At the time, she was living in Austria and initially believed it was a prank.

Celina said the situation came during a difficult phase in her personal life. She claimed she was in an abusive marriage and had been away from her acting career for over 15 years. She said she had trusted her partner with finances and property but later lost access to her assets and her three sons.

She said she left Austria in the middle of the night with limited money and travelled to India, believing she could not fight for her brother while staying abroad.

Celina also claimed that many friends and relatives did not support her during the crisis. She said she felt isolated, and only strangers came forward to help her.

After returning to India, she said she faced another legal battle, claiming she had to get a court injunction to enter her Mumbai home. She alleged her estranged husband was trying to sell the property without her consent.

Celina said that due to lack of clarity from diplomatic channels, she approached the Delhi High Court and filed a writ of habeas corpus. She claimed that only after filing the petition did authorities share a prosecution number and confirm her brother’s location.

She said she was only given a vague reason of “National Security” and that there is still no clear explanation for why Vikrant was detained.

Celina said her brother had joined his wife’s company after retiring from the army. She said his wife ran a company named Matiti Group, which worked in areas such as information technology, cyber security, risk management, and HR services. She said Vikrant joined the firm like other veterans after retirement.

Celina said that through legal and grievance channels, it was confirmed in mid-2025 that Vikrant had been shifted to the Al Wathba detention centre in Abu Dhabi.

She also said the Delhi High Court has passed an order allowing a UAE-based legal firm to represent him, which she called a major breakthrough.

Celina said several people from the film industry supported her publicly, including actor Preity Zinta.

Calling herself a “fourth-generation armed forces daughter,” Celina said she has taken the matter to top Indian leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“My brother is an Indian soldier. He cannot be left in arbitrary detention,” she said.

Celina said the fight is now real and personal, and she will continue efforts to bring her brother back home.