Ahmedabad Filmmaker Feared Dead in Plane Crash Despite Not Boarding or Staying at Hostel

A local filmmaker is missing after the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and his family are anxious he may be one of those killed on the ground. While he was not included in the 242 passengers on the flight, his last mobile phone location was within 700 metres of the crash site, and he has not been seen since that day.

Mahesh Kalawadia, who was also known as Mahesh Jirawala, a music album director who lived in Naroda, was reported as missing shortly after the London-bound flight crashed into the campus of a medical college in Meghaninagar on June 12, PTI reported. The crash resulted in the death of 241 passengers and crew and 29 people on the ground.

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Family submits DNA sample in hope of identification

His wife, Hetal Kalawadia, stated her husband called her around 1:14 p.m. that day, informing her that a meeting in Law Garden was over, and he was going home. However, he never returned.

"My husband called me at 1.14 pm to tell me his meeting is over and that he is on his way home. However, when he did not return, I called up on his phone but it was switched off," Hetal said.

They submitted a sample of DNA to help authorities determine whether he is among the victims on the ground.

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She revealed that police traced the last location of his phone as being an area just 700 metres from the accident site. "His phone got switched off around 1.40 pm (a minute after the ill-fated flight took off). His scooter and mobile phone are missing. All this is unusual since he would never use that route (as per the last location) to come home," she said.

Authorities have verified that the bodies from the crash site were torched or mangled beyond recognition​.

Investigators are now using DNA to determine victims. As of Sunday, 47 victims were identified using DNA matching.

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