The former spouse of a nephew to Dubai's ruler has been placed in detention, according to officials, amid an intensifying struggle for custody of their three young daughters.

Dubai Public Prosecution informed the BBC that Zenab Javadli was detained after a complaint from the father of her three children, her ex-husband Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

For nearly two days there had been no information on the whereabouts of Javadli or her children.

For months she had rarely ventured outside, fearing that security personnel were poised to seize her children and detain her.

Dubai Public Prosecution stated that her ex-husband claims she took the children during a court-approved visitation period.

Last year he filed a police complaint accusing her of abducting their daughters.

This followed multiple exchanges of the children between the parents, with each parent leveling kidnapping accusations at the other.

Javadli, a former international gymnast, also faces possible arrest for e-crimes in the UAE after livestreaming one of the confrontations last year.

She described her decision at the time in a video message to British human rights lawyer David Haigh, who has supported her case: "I knew that it was the last chance to be with my children as they would never let me see them again. I genuinely believed that it was my last chance, so I just opened a livestream and called for help."

Lawyers for Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum argued in court that she was an unfit mother who had not ensured school attendance for her daughters, resided in unsuitable hotel accommodations, and endangered the health of the youngest child.

In a Thursday evening statement Dubai Public Prosecution noted that the case continues under investigation and legal proceedings.

"[We] will continue to take the necessary legal measures in accordance with applicable laws, while safeguarding the children's wellbeing and best interests," the statement said.

Haigh responded by urging the UAE to grant Javadli immediate access to her lawyer, consulate and family, and to release her back to her Dubai residence.