Crockery dealer shot dead

MUMBAI, JAN 25: A crockery dealer was shot at by an unidentified gunman at around 11 am as he was offering prayers in his shop in bustlin...

MUMBAI, JAN 25: A crockery dealer was shot at by an unidentified gunman at around 11 am as he was offering prayers in his shop in bustling Pydhonie. Sirish Parekh, 45, owner of Diamond Crockery located at the junction of Jangikar Street and Chakala Street, had rolled up his shop’s shutters and was praying when the gunman barged in and fired three rounds on him from close range.

Parekh was rushed to J J Hospital with three bullet wounds in his chest by a store employee, Shambaji, but was declared dead before admission. A trained Chartered Accountant, Parekh is survived by his wife Preeti and 10-year-old daughter Shivalika.

An employee, Bhagwandin said the assailant, who appeared to be about 25, pointed his weapon at the other employees in the store after firing on Parekh before melting into the narrow alley.

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Parekh had received threats from gangsters at his office and residence in Juhu in September 1997, Parekh’s partner Bhagwan Mehta told Express Newsline. He was provided police protection inSeptember 1997 for a period of two months, added Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) D Shivanandan, who visited the spot in the afternoon. The businessman’s phones were also tapped, after which the calls stopped, added Mehta.

“We spoke at great length on Saturday evening, but Parekh didn’t mention a thing about receiving recent threats or phone calls,” said Mehta. According to sources, members of a faction of the Dawood Ibrahim gang could be behind the shootout, as a caller had once told Parekh to contact a person in Dubai. When Parekh called on the Dubai number, he was reportedly instructed to call another number in Mumbai. Police say it still unclear whether Parekh went ahead and contacted the local gangster or reported the matter to the police.

Panic gripped Pydhonie immediately after the shootout, and the 25-odd crockery shops in Chakla Street, known for wholesale crockery ware, pulled down their shutters to protest the ruthless killing.