Sell off Rubina? It’s a lie: father

Rubina and Rafiq began their Sunday denying the allegations to mediapersons who had gathered at their Garib Nagar slum,and ended the day at the Nirmal Nagar police station where Rubina’s biological mother and Rafiq’s first wife Khurshid aka Khushi had complained about the ‘deal’ and demanded that Rubina be taken away from Rafiq’s custody.

News of the World alleged that Rafiq had agreed to give his daughter up for adoption in exchange for millions of rupees when two of its journalists had posed as a family from the Middle East and had asked whether Rafiq would let them take Rubina away to Dubai.

Rafiq conceded there was an offer but said he did not accept it. “After Slumdog Millionaire was released,a man called Hussainbhai,who claimed to be an assistant to a sheikh,used to call me and tell me about the sheikh’s wife who was moved by Rubina’s performance in the movie. Hussainbhai had asked me if I can come to Dubai with my family and I had repeatedly told him that I don’t have the resources for that. Then on Thursday,he called me to say that the sheikh’s wife was in the city and wanted to meet me. That night I went to meet them with Rubina,a couple of friends,my brother and two nephews,” recalled Rafiq.

Rafiq claimed that the woman and the men had repeatedly asked him that night if they can adopt Rubina,but he had refused. He had also gone back the next day for a last farewell meet and again refused to let go of Rubina.

Rubina described the room as ‘huge’ and the lady who met her in a burqa as very fair. “That night,the hotel’s car came to pick us up and upon reaching the hotel we were taken upstairs to a huge room where one aunty and two men greeted us. The aunty kept gushing about my performance and gave me chocolates. She then asked me if I wanted to go to Dubai and I said yes,” she said.

She gave a well-rehearsed reply to what she thought of the deal over her. “Ye sab ek saazish hai (It’s all a conspiracy). I completely trust my father and agree with what he has told you. We had gone to meet them and though they offered to take me away,my father refused saying that he couldn’t let me stay away from him.”

While Rafiq and Rubina were whisked away by television crews for a live chat,a violent drama was in progress outside their slum. Rafiq’s first wife Khurshid hurled abuses at Rafiq and his present wife Meena aka Munni for letting their greed go to such an extent. Both the women eventually got engaged in a fist fight,from which Munni made a premature exit as one of Khurshid’s blows had left her bleeding.

“Rubina has become Rafiq’s blank cheque now,which he can encash at any time for the highest possible amount. Till the time I was married to him,my life was hell as he used up all the money for gambling. But now,he has resorted to selling my daughter for funding his nasty habits and I cannot lie quiet,” said Khurshid.

She then went to Nirmal Nagar police station with her complaint,following which two police constables escorted Rubina and Rafiq from their residence to the police station in an autorickshaw.

The police said they are not in a position to register an offence. “This is a custody battle,to be resolved in court. We have recorded the statements of Khurshid,Rafiq and Rubina and will conduct an inquiry into whether someone had offered to buy or adopt her,” said police inspector Shailendra Dhiwar.

Meena,who is three months’ pregnant,got married to Rafiq seven months ago while Khurshid had run away seven years ago,leaving an infant Rubina to the care of her grandmother. “We are not that poor that we have to sell our kid to make money. Khurshid has held a grudge against me since long and I suspect that she has a role in the controversy,” said Meena.