Turmoil in marriage. No money. Left home at 1 midnight. No help from relatives. Ex-actress Celina Jaitly shares her struggle to free her brother detained in UAE

Former actor and Miss India winner Celina Jaitly has spoken about one of the most difficult phases of her life, a period where her personal collapse and a legal battle overseas collided at the same time. While trying to deal with what she has described as an abusive marriage in Austria, Jaitly also found herself fighting for the release of her brother, Major (Retd) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly, who has been detained in the United Arab Emirates for over a year.

Speaking to news agency PTI, Celina laid out how the crisis unfolded, beginning with a late-night phone call that she initially refused to believe.

The phone call that changed everything

Celina said she first learnt about her brother’s detention around September 29, 2024, while she was living in Austria. The call came late in the evening and caught her completely off guard.


“I got to know around September 29. The call came at around nine at night. I was living in Austria then. At first, I thought my brother was playing a prank. For an hour, I dismissed it as one of his stupid jokes,” she told PTI.

Major (Retd) Vikrant Jaitly, a former Special Forces officer and UN peacekeeper, was allegedly picked up from a mall in the UAE earlier that month. For nearly nine months after that, his family claims there was no official arrest record, no access to a lawyer, and no clarity on his whereabouts.

Trapped in an abusive marriage

At the time of the call, Celina was already dealing with a failing marriage. She has filed a case against her estranged husband, Peter Haag, under the Domestic Violence Act, alleging emotional, physical, verbal and financial abuse.

“I was in a very abusive and bad marriage. But when you have children, you do everything to make that work. When you don't have parents, when you no longer have your assets, you do everything to keep your marriage going, specifically for your children,” she said. For over 15 years, Celina stepped away from her acting career, trusting her partner with finances and property. She later said she lost access to both her assets and her three sons.

Leaving Austria at one in the night

As her brother’s case showed no movement, Celina said she realised she could not fight from where she was. The decision to leave Austria came suddenly and under pressure.

“I took that decision in the middle of battle, without dragging my children into it. Knowing that if I didn't leave Austria, I wouldn't be able to stand up for my brother. At one o'clock in the night, with hardly any money and a ticket bought on a credit card, I left Austria and came to India,” she said.

She added that the response after her return was deeply disappointing. “Nobody really came forward to support me,” she said, describing how even relatives treated the situation as a taboo. “In my darkest hour, I realised I had neither friends nor family in my immediate circle.”

Legal fight on two fronts

Back in India, Celina had to seek a court injunction just to enter her Mumbai home, alleging that her estranged husband was attempting to sell the property without her consent. At the same time, she approached the Delhi High Court, filing a writ of habeas corpus over her brother’s detention. She said it was only after the court petition that authorities disclosed even basic information.

“We have only one prosecution number, and that too I received only after filing my writ petition before the Honourable Delhi High Court,” she said, adding that the case was vaguely labelled under “National Security”. In mid-2025, it was confirmed through legal channels that Vikrant had been moved to the Al Wathba detention centre in Abu Dhabi. The Delhi High Court has since allowed a UAE-based legal firm to represent him, a step Celina has called a long-awaited breakthrough.

Still waiting for answers

There remains little clarity on why Vikrant was detained. Celina said he had joined his wife’s company, the Matiti Group, after retiring from the army, working across areas such as IT, cyber security and risk management like any other veteran professional. Calling herself a fourth-generation armed forces daughter, Celina said she has taken the matter to the highest levels, including writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“My brother is an Indian soldier,” she said. “He cannot be left in arbitrary detention.” For Celina Jaitly, this is no longer about public image or past fame. It is a slow, exhausting fight driven by family, one she says she cannot walk away from, no matter the personal cost.