In Slumdog Millionaire, nine-year-old Latika, played by Rubina Ali Qureshi, was sold off to the world of prostitution. On Sunday, reel life came dangerously close to imitating reality when a British weekly, News of the World, published a story on its website claiming that during a sting operation, Rubina’s father Rafiq had agreed to sell her off for a sum of £2,00,000.

Rubina and Rafiq on Sunday denied the allegations in front of media persons who had gathered at their home in the Garib Nagar slum. Later, they had to report to the Nirmal Nagar police station where Rubina’s biological mother and Rafiq’s first wife Khurshid had complained about the ‘sale 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 wealthy family from West Asia and had asked whether Rafiq would let them take Rubina away to Dubai.

Rafiq claimed the allegations were the result of someone’s jealousy about the fact that he and Rubina could prosper in life.

“After Slumdog was released, one Hussainbhai, who claimed to be the assistant to a West Asian Sheikh, would call me up and tell me about the Sheikh’s wife who was so moved by Rubina’s performance in the movie that she cried uncontrollably after watching it. Hussainbhai had asked me if I could come to Dubai with my family and I had repeatedly told him that I didn’t have the resources for that. Then on Thursday, Hussainbhai called me to say that the Sheikh’s wife is in the city and wants to meet me. That night, I went to meet them with Rubina, a couple of friends, my brother and two nephews,” said Rafiq. Rafiq claimed that that night, the lady and the two men had repeatedly asked to adopt Rubina, but he had refused.

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