New Delhi:
Malaika Arora’s father Anil Kuldip Mehta died by suicide in Mumbai’s Bandra on Wednesday morning, police said. The actor, who was reportedly heading towards Pune, rushed to Mumbai as soon as she received the tragic news. A video emerged online in which a grieving Malaika Arora can be seen exiting her parents’ house last night. She was accompanied by sister Amrita Arora, her husband Shakeel Ladak, Arjun Kapoor and BFFs Kareena and Karisma Kapoor and son Arhaan. In the video, Arjun Kapoor can be seen escorting Malaika towards her car. After Malaika Arora’s father’s death, her ex-husband Arbaaz Khan, Salim Khan, Salma Khan, Sohail Khan, Arpita Khan, Alizeh Agnihotri and other members of the Khan family visited her in Mumbai.
Malaika Arora issued the first statement after her father’s death on behalf of the family last night. She requested media to respect their privacy in tough times. Malaika wrote in the post, “We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear father, Anil Mehta. He was a gentle soul, a devoted grandfather, a loving husband and our best friend. Our family is in deep shock by this loss and we kindly request privacy from the media and well-wishers during this difficult time. We appreciate your understanding, support and respect. With gratitude, Joyce, Malaika, Amrita, Shakeel, Arhaan, Azaan , Rayyan, Casper, Axl, Duffy and Buddy.” Take a look:
Malaika’s father, 65, allegedly jumped from his apartment building in Mumbai’s Bandra. An IANS report claimed, Anil Mehta had called both his daughters saying, “I’m tired”, before allegedly jumping off the balcony. Anil Mehta’s wife and Malaika and Amrita Arora’s mother, Joyce Polycarp, has told the Mumbai Police that she was in the house when the incident took place. Around 9 am on Wednesday, she noticed her husband’s slippers in the living room and began looking for him, per IANS.
According to news agency IANS, when she didn’t find him in the balcony, she leaned over the railing and noticed that there was a commotion and a security guard in the building was shouting for help. This, she told the cops, was when she realised something was terribly wrong.
Malaika Arora was born in Thane near Mumbai. Her parents got divorced when she was 11 and she moved to Chembur with her mother, Joyce, and sister, Amrita. Joyce Polycarp is a Malayali Christian while Anil Mehta was from the Punjabi community and worked in the Indian Merchant Navy.
