Slumdog star Rubina Ali's father offers to sell her!

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ child star Rubina Ali’s father, Rafiq Qureshi, negotiated to sell her for Rs 20 million ($400,000) to a reporter disguised as a Arab Sheikh. Photo Credit: Splash News

April 18, 2009, (Sawf News) - Slumdog Millionaire child star Rubina Ali’s father, Rafiq Quereshi, negotiated to sell her for Rs 20 million ($400,000) to a reporter disguised as a Arab Sheikh.

The offer was made by Qureshi in the absence of Rubina’s mother during a sting operation by the British weekly, News of the World, to expose child exploitation in Mumbai. Rubina’s uncle, Rajan More, was present at the meeting.

Rubina Ali, who played younger Latika in Slumdog Millionaire, lives in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum with her family.

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ child star Rubina Ali’s father, Rafiq Qureshi, negotiated to sell her for Rs 20 million ($400,000) to a reporter disguised as a Arab Sheikh. Photo Credit: News of The World

The tabloid was tipped of Qureshi’s intent to sell Rubina by a concerned inhabitant of the squalid slum in the heart of Mumbai at the beginning of March.

The News of the World rejected the offer and alerted Save the Children.

While negotiating the sale of his daughter, Qureshi told the fake sheikh:

“I have to consider what's best for me, my family and Rubina's future.

"We live in one room, seven of us sleep on the floor. I earn between 300 Rupees ($6) and Rs 500 ($10) a day, but since all this film thing I haven't even worked. We have got nothing out of this film, they have given us nothing," he said.