Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, a daughter of Dubai’s ruler, claimed that she had suffered years of abuse at the hands of her family. She has not been heard of since she was captured

The Indian prime minister authorised an operation to seize and repatriate a Dubai princess who had fled the Gulf, alleging torture by the ruling family, it has been claimed.

In the latest twist to an extraordinary tale involving the princess’s escape with a former French spy, which ended at gunpoint off the Indian coast, a report in India has claimed that Narendra Modi sent in the coastguard to stop the pair at the request of Dubai’s royal family.

The prime minister is said to have approved the interception of her yacht, in an alleged breach of international law, on the advice of security officials who advised him to act “to secure India’s counter-terrorism and strategic interests”.

Mr Modi has cultivated closer ties with the United