145;Missing146; cricketers are back

Two of the five cricketers who had 8216;disappeared8217; on a tour of England arrived in Amritsar today. And, in full media glare, as Rajw...

Two of the five cricketers who had 8216;disappeared8217; on a tour of England arrived in Amritsar today. And, in full media glare, as Rajwant and Parvesh Rani failed to keep to their rehearsed storyline, what emerged was the familiar story of desperation to emigrate to the West.

8216;8216;We just went to live with our relatives. We did not disappear and we did not take our luggage with us8217;8217;, they said on landing at Amritsar. But in Jalandhar, where they live, they said they8217;d gone sightseeing and then lost their way back. 8216;8216;We reached another city, which has a name similar to the one we were staying in, instead of returning to our place8217;8217;.

Among those who haven8217;t returned is coach-cum-agent Ravi Sharma, who sent word that he would be back next week. He was the target of the girls8217; anger today, and that of their families.

Devinder, Rajwant8217;s brother, said: 8216;8216;Gross injustice has been done to us. We came to know only when they were about to fly that the visa was for one month while we were initially promised a six-month visa by Ravi Sharma.8217;8217;

8216;8216;We even sold our tractor to pay Rs 2 lakh to Sharma in return for the six-month visa but he betrayed us8217;8217;, added Rajwant Kaur.

Asked why they spent Rs 2 lakh just to take part in one tournament, both said that they wanted to stay there for six months during which they could 8216;8216;earn this amount easily8217;8217;.

Interestingly, Rashmi, Ravi Sharma8217;s daughter, who also returned with the team, was immediately taken away for interrogation after landing and was not allowed to come out of the routine exit. She later denied all the charges against her father and said he hadn8217;t accepted any money from the girls who had vanished.

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Both the girls and their parents said that they would take some legal action against Sharma if their money is not returned.