‘He left home never to return’

“He would bring home jewellery and ensure it was flashy enough to be sold out in the stores. Like everyday,he left home in the morning,never to return,” said Kumar,Ahuja’s 25- year-old son,who works as an apprentice with an electrician. Ahuja is survived by two daughters— Geeta (20) and Jyoti (18),Kumar (25) and a wife.

Ahuja also supported brother- in- law Mathurdas Ahuja’s family. “Lalchand’s family lived a few lanes away in the barrack area. They lived in a rented house,so we insisted they live with us,” said Mathuradas.

On Wednesday,Ahuja visited several shops in Goregaon,Andheri,before he came to Maruti Shopping Centre,the shop outside which the bomb exploded. “The moment the news broke,all of us frantically started calling him. Until 7:30pm no one answered the call,” Kumar recalls. Once when the body was sent to the hospital,the phone rang again and this time it was answered. “I was praying continuously hoping that my father was alive. When the doctor answered my call,I shut my eyes praying it was my father on the other side. But the doctor called and told me my father was in the hospital battling for his life. It was a lie that the doctor had to tell,my father was dead long ago. He just lied to ensure we don’t panic.”

Kumar the eldest son,a college dropout,earns a frugal sum. He hopes the compensation money reaches his family soon and he is able to put the family life back on track.