The Tribune, January 20, 2003

Urmila case: cops sent to Rewari, Gujarat
Satish Seth

Kaithal, January 19
Urmila Ben (12 ) has been reunited with her father Phool Chand Net Ram, an ASI of the Gujarat police. She had been missing for the past two years since the earthquake and was reunited with her father here due to the efforts of a local BJP leader, Mr Romesh Gupta. The case took a new turn when the SP, Mr A.S. Chawla, dispatched two police parties to Rewari and Gujarat to investigate about the circumstances under which the girl was allegedly abducted from Gujarat and brought to Rewari town in Haryana and later sold or handed over to a woman at Kaithal, Deepa, after receiving money by Banwari Lal of Rewari .

It is learnt that this step was taken following receipt of information that Banwari Lal of Rewari had handed over the girl to a woman of Kaithal after preparing papers of adoption and he received some monetary consideration from the woman. That Banwari Lal was booked by the Rewari police two years ago for his alleged involvement in the sale has further complicated the matter and alerted the local police.

The girl’s father reached here two days ago on receiving information about the presence of his daughter at Kaithal town. The girl was medically examined here yesterday on the directions of the SP, which proved that she was not sexually exploited. It is not yet known why the Kaithal woman Deepa adopted this girl and paid money to Banwari Lal. According to information, Banwari Lal and his accomplice Laxmi Devi had tried to get the girl back from Deepa about eight months back on some pretext and the matter had reached the local police. But the matter was settled and they agreed to leave the girl with Deepa when she again paid some more money to Banwari Lal. According to police sources, the police team which has left for Gujarat will inquire about the mother of Urmila Ben and why Phool Chand Net Ram lodged the complaint about his missing daughter after two years, on January 13, 2003. Urmila Ben, in the presence of some mediapersons, narrated here yesterday that the woman who brought her from Gujarat told her that her father had expired in the earthquake and she would look after her. Later, the woman brought her to Rewari and handed her over to Banwari Lal.

The police is also trying to establish contact with the petition writer who prepared documents of adoption of the girl. Urmila Ben was left at the residence of Mr Romesh Gupta, an advocate and BJP worker here, by a woman to work as a domestic servant here recently. Mr Gupta and his wife inquired from the girl about her antecedents who told that she was brought from Gujarat by a woman after the devastating earthquake and her father expired in that earthquake. She also told them that some of her relatives were at Rajkot and her father was an ASI.