The father of a child actress in the film Slumdog Millionaire is offering to sell her for £200,000, it was claimed yesterday.
Rafiq Qureshi, who lives in poverty in Mumbai, reportedly attempted to trade nine-year-old Rubina Ali in an illegal adoption deal.
It had been hoped that the film's success would transform her life. But her father and an uncle were said to have claimed that they are being forced to put her up for sale because the family has not received enough of the proceeds.
They were accused of using her fame as a bargaining tool to push up the price they can get for her - first asking £50,000 and later quadrupling the amount. The uncle, Moihuddin Qureshi, was said to have told an undercover reporter: 'The child is special now. This is not an ordinary child. This is an Oscar child.'
The claims were made following a 'sting' operation by the News of the World, which said it had been alerted that the child was for sale in a tip-off from a former family neighbour.
It was reported that the little girl, her father and uncles all went to a hotel to meet the 'prospective buyers', supposedly a family from Dubai, to discuss the deal in detail.
Confronted about the story yesterday, Rafiq Qureshi angrily denied thaA source close to the family told the Daily Mail: 'Rafiq was told to bring Rubina to the hotel, where a rich man wanted to discuss a job with him.
'He happily agreed because Rubina can earn good money since her Slumdog success. She has had many movie offers. Rafiq didn't understand everything that was being said to him but he was happy to discuss money for a wellpaying job for his daughter. He loves her like any father loves his daughter.
Later Rafiq added: 'Whatever money you have agreed with Rajan, I will accept. There is a lot of interest in Rubina - she has become very famous.'
Trafficking of poor children from across the Asian sub continent has become an increasing problem.
Some are sold to the Middle East where they are forced to risk their lives as camel jockeys or subjected to sexual exploitation and abuse.
The shack that Rubina calls home is yards from an open sewer. There was an outcry after pictures emerged of her and co-star Azharuddin Mohammed
in Ismail, who played the young Salim, living in squalor despite the film's success. Both families have consistently complained that the filmmakers have abandoned them to their fate.
Producer Christian Colson told the Daily Mail last night: 'We have friends and colleagues in Bombay who are trying to speak with Mr Qureshi to get to the bottom of what happened. Her family is under a lot of pressure.'He and director Danny Boyle are planning next month to visit the young stars, who were plucked off the street for auditions to star in the film.
Mr Colson added: 'Danny and I are committed to Rubina and Azharuddin for the long term. We are trying to keep a roof over their heads, and keep them in school until they are 18. The problem is there are a lot of parties who are telling the parents different things.
'We agreed to buy apartments a couple of months ago but that process stalled because they decided they wanted the money up front instead.
'In the past few days we have got things back on track, and are now back looking at apartments.'
The film makers have set up a trust to give a lump sum to each child when they are 18.
Properties will also be placed in trust, with ownership released to the parents only when the children turn 18 and have completed their education.
Mr Colson added: 'We can't buy the properties outright and give them to them, because in all honesty they will sell them.'
According to the News of the World, Mr Qureshi is desperate to make the most of his daughter's success and get them out of their hut in the Mumbai slum known as Poor Man's Colony.
It claimed he had already been approached by a family from Dubai, but was hoping to start a bidding war.
Rafiq allegedly directed a reporter to his brother-in-law Rajan More, who said: 'Rubina's life is miserable. Obviously if you wanted to adopt, we could discuss this, but her parents would expect some proper compensation return. We are talking around £50,000 for this to happen.'