Hyderabad: Ms Ayesha Rasheed, 29, and her younger sister Fathima Rasheed, 27, grew up without their biological mother in their house at Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
Months after Ms Fathima Rasheed was born, their father Rasheed Eid Obaid Masmery divorced their mother, Ms Razia Begum, a Hyderabad native, and sent her back to India.
Some 15 years ago, on his death bed, he revealed the identity of their mother and told them that she lived in Hyderabad. He told them that they should meet her if possible.
Twenty-seven years after she was sent back to India, the two sisters have now come down to Hyderabad in search of their lost mother.
With the South Zone police offering to help trace Ms Razia Begum, the sisters are hopeful. They want to meet her, and take her back to the UAE if possible.
“When our father told us about her years ago, we could not come to Hyderabad. We did not know where to go and how to search. We grew up and got married. Now, with the support of our husbands, we came here to search for her,” said Ms Ayesha.
The sisters have an old photograph of Ms Razia Begum, who is now believed to be in her early 50s.
“All we have is her picture and a copy of her passport. We hope the police can find her with these details,” added Ms Ayesha. The siblings will be in Hyderabad for four more days as per their visa.
South Zone police has started searching for Ms Razia Begum. “We found that Razia got married in 1981 in Barkas. She lived with her husband for more than seven years and came back to Hyderabad in 1988 after their divorce. We are confident that she will be traced,” said South Zone DCP Satyanarayana.
Police has sent teams to Barkas and collected some information about the woman. A few officials believe that she may have been married as a minor. Cops are also verifying if Ms Razia remarried after her return.
After Sheik Rasheed married her in Hyderabad, he had taken her to Fujairah in 1981. She lived there and gave birth to two girl children. After the divorce, he married another woman from Hyderabad, Ms Zaheda, who is living in Fujairah with her two children.
Though Ms Zaheda allegedly knew the whereabouts of Ms Razia Begum, she did not divulge the information fearing losing out on property, sources said.
