Latest news with #MaheshKalavadia
New Indian Express
10 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Gujarati Filmmaker Mahesh Jirawala confirmed dead in Ahmedabad plane crash
The death of Gujarati filmmaker Mahesh Kalavadia, also known as Mahesh Jirawala, has been officially confirmed days after the tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad on June 12. DNA test results matched samples provided by his family, confirming he was among those killed on the ground. Jirawala, a well-known director of Gujarati music videos and awareness films, had been missing since the crash. His last phone location was traced to around 700 metres from the crash site near B J Medical Hostel in Shahibaug, raising fears among family members. Reported NDTV. "My husband called me at 1.14pm to say his meeting was over and he was on his way home. When he didn't return, I tried calling him but his phone was switched off," his wife Hetal told PTI. "Later, police told us his last location was around 700 metres from the crash site. His phone switched off at 1.40pm just a minute after the flight took off." She added, "His scooter and mobile were missing. He never used that route to return home. That's when we feared something had happened and submitted DNA samples."
NDTV
12 hours ago
- NDTV
Gujarati Filmmaker Mahesh Jirawala, Missing Since Air India Plane Crash, Confirmed Dead After DNA Match
New Delhi: The death of Gujarati filmmaker Mahesh Kalavadia, also known as Mahesh Jirawala, has been officially confirmed following the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12. The confirmation came after DNA test results matched his family's samples. Earlier, Mahesh Jirawala's wife had shared that his mobile phone's last known location was about 700 meters from the crash site. Based on this, she feared he was among the victims and had submitted DNA samples for verification. "According to the last location of his phone, the filmmaker was present at a distance of 700 meters from the accident site," she said. She had assumed that he had died in the crash. A burnt Activa scooter belonging to Jirawala was recovered from the site, raising suspicion that he may have been struck by the crashing aircraft. His phone was later found at the site in a switched-off state, which further supported the possibility that he was among the casualties. DNA test results eventually confirmed his death. Initially, the family refused to accept the body, holding out hope that he might have survived. "They were not ready to believe his death," sources said. However, once police presented key evidence, including the chassis number of the Activa scooter and the DNA, the family broke down and accepted the truth. Mahesh Jirawala was a resident of Naroda in Ahmedabad and was known for directing Gujarati music videos and projects related to AIDS awareness. He was the CEO of Mahesh Jirawala Productions and had directed a Gujarati film in 2019. He is survived by his wife, Hetal, and their two children, a daughter and a son. According to official data, a total of 231 DNA identifications have been completed in the Ahmedabad crash so far, and 210 bodies have been handed over to the families. The victims include 155 Indians, 36 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian citizen, and nine local residents. The Air India flight, which was flying from Ahmedabad to London, crashed into the B J Medical Hostel in Shahibaug on June 12. Over 279 people were killed in the incident.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Wrong place, wrong time: Filmmaker's life ends in Ahmedabad Air India inferno
Ahmedabad: Mahesh Kalavadia , a 35-year-old Gujarati film producer and director, left his house in Naroda for Shahibaug on his scooter on the afternoon of June 12. He did not return. Anxious, his family filed a missing complaint with the police. No one expected him to be in the area where the London-bound Air India flight crashed the same day. After all, Shahibaug is about 9 km from Meghani Nagar, the site of the plane crash. With all the missing complaints coming over, the police requested the family to provide their DNA sample for a worst-case scenario. The sample matched one of the burnt down bodies recovered from the crash site. Kalavadia indeed was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But his family could not accept it. As the police went on to look for more, they came across a charred scooter and retrieved its engine and chassis numbers which they asked the family to match with that of Kalavadia. They too matched. "Accepting such a loss for any family is incredibly difficult," says Kanan Desai, deputy Commissioner of police, Zone 4, Ahmedabad. "So we produced all the evidence other than the DNA report, including CCTV footage of the nearby area and the engine number and so on." The family performed his last rites at the Naroda crematorium on Friday morning. Sitting by the Civil Hospital morgue a day after the crash, Suresh Patni, an auto driver, had told ET how his son, Akash, who was at a tea stall near the crash site perished in the fire that engulfed the area. Two others who stopped by on a scooter for a cup of tea were also caught in the fire. Kalavadia is believed to be one of those two men on the scooter. As on Friday, more than 231 DNA profiles of the crash victims have been matched. Authorities have so far contacted 220 families and handed over the bodies of 210 victims: 155 Indians, 36 Brits, seven Portuguese, a Canadian and another 11 who were not passengers of the plane. Two people died during treatment.
