Mumbai: A very interesting situation has emerged after the rescue of a destitute woman from the Belapur metro station in Mumbai. When taken to the police station by rescuers, she identified herself as Rekha Srivastava, the widow of former Indian cricketer Salim Durani.
In an Instagram video that has now gone viral, the woman has claimed that she spent most of her life in Mumbai, save for some time in Dubai, where she operated her own airlines.
She was taken to a shelter home, where she again repeated that she was once married to Durani, who passed away two years ago. Her young rescuers may not have heard of the swashbuckling cricketer who played 29 Tests for India. He also played 170 first class matches and was the first cricketer to be awarded the Arjuna Award. He was also awarded the C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.
The woman has claimed that her husband played cricket around the country and would never travel without her.
“I met several important people, including Maharajas and ministers,” she claimed.
When asked which Maharajas she met, she speaks of one from Gujarat.
This is where things get interesting. While Durani was born in Afghanistan, his father was offered a job by the then Jam Sahib Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji in 1935. The Durani family settled in Jamnagar in Gujarat thereafter. He also played first class cricket for Gujarat, Saurashtra and Rajasthan.
As per reports in The Times of India and Rediff, Durani was briefly married to a woman named Rekha. However, it is not known whether she is the same Rekha who was rescued in Mumbai.
Durrani passed away on April 2, 2023. He was then living with his brother in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
The woman goes on to say that she used to own a bungalow in Mumbai, which she sold. She now claims to be penniless.
