Geeta refuses to identify Mahatos as her family

New Delhi: Geeta, the hearing and speech-impaired Indian woman living in Pakistan for over a decade after accidentally crossing the border, returned to India on Monday but refused to recognise the Mahato family in person, whose photos she identified in Karachi.

On request of the Union government, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences has collected the DNA samples from 23-year-old Geeta, who has returned to India from Karachi after almost 15 years, to determine her parentage and the results will be known in a week or so.

Meanwhile, Geeta, the mute and deaf girl, on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who announced Rs one crore to Pakistan’s Edhi foundation, which had taken care of her during her over a decade-long stay in that country.

Elated over Geeta’s return from Pakistan, the Mahatos from Bihar on Monday turned up at the Indira Gandhi International Airport to accord a warm welcome to their “family member”, only to be left dejected hours later as she refused to recognise them.

As Geeta made her way out of the ceremonial lounge of IGI around 11.30 am, the family tried to make their way forward carrying rose petals and marigold garlands but she was whisked away by security personnel.

Later external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said Geeta refused to identify the Mahatos as her family.