Rubaiya Sayeed (The kidnapped daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed)

A 23-year-old Rubaiya was kidnapped by Kashmiri militants in 1989, five days after her father became the first Muslim Minister of Home Affairs.

Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of late Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed  today lives a low-profile life in Chennai. A 23-year-old Rubaiya was kidnapped by Kashmiri militants in 1989, five days after her father became the first Muslim Minister of Home Affairs. The militants had demanded the release of five arrested in return of Rubaiya’s release. With no other option, government accepted their demand and freed them.

Rubaiya now resides with her family in her apartment in the neighborhood of Tarapore avenue off Harrington Road in Chetpe. She is also given protection by five personnel of the Tamil Nadu’s police’s special armed force unit. Most people in  the locality including auto drivers grocery store owners know her exact home location, but are not allowed entry near her house.

Neighbors of Rubaiya describe her family as friendly, but are reluctant from sharing details about them. Rubaiya had been with her father when he was admitted at Delhi AIIMS. Rubaiya’s husband runs an automobile showroom in Velachery and has two sons and has been living here for at least 10 years now. Security who guards Rubaiya’s house are tight-lipped about details on her.

Rubaiya was kidnapped when she was returning from Lal Ded Memorial Women’s Hospital in a local bus. She was forced out the bus at gunpoint and was taken away in a Maruti car.

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away on Thursday after multiple-organ failure. Mufti’s daughter Mehbooba  will swear-in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir after  Chaharum of her father.