Mumbai: Malaika Arora has shared an official statement on behalf of her family after the death of her father, Anil Mehta, who died by suicide. Malaika took to her Instagram account on Wednesday and posted the statement, asking for privacy from the media during this difficult time.
“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,” her statement read.
“We appreciate your understanding, support and respect. With gratitude, Joyce, Malaika, Amrita, Shakeel, Arhaan, Azaan, Rayyan, Casper, AXL, Duffy and Buddy,” Malaika added.
Earlier in the day, Varun Dhawan slammed paparazzi for pointing cameras at grieving people, calling their actions insensitive.
Taking to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Varun expressed his displeasure and frustration as he wrote, “It is the most insensitive thing to point cameras in the face of people who are grieving, please.”
“Please consider what you are doing and how it affects those in mourning. I understand it’s your job, but remember that people might not be comfortable with this,” he added. Varun also included the hashtag #humanity in his post.
Kareena Kapoor Khan visited Malaika Arora’s father’s residence after his death on Wednesday. The actress was accompanied by her husband, actor Saif Ali Khan, to offer their heartfelt condolences.
Several celebs, including Arjun Kapoor, her ex-husband Arbaaz Khan, Chunky Panday, and his daughter Ananya Panday, among others, were also seen arriving at their home.
The Khan family also visited Malaika on Wednesday. Sohail Khan, along with his parents, Salim Khan and Salma Khan, were seen entering her father’s residence as photographers gathered around.
Earlier in the day, Mumbai police had said that the death of Malaika’s father, “prima facie,” looks like a suicide, and all angles in the case are being investigated.
DCP Crime Branch, Raj Tilak Roshan, informed the media that the body of the deceased has been sent for post-mortem. He added that the teams of police and forensics are carrying out the investigation.
“Body of one Anil Mehta (62) was found. He resided on the 6th floor. We are carrying out further investigation and our team is here. We are investigating all angles in detail. Our teams are here, forensic teams are here as well. Body is being taken for postmortem. We are investigating everything in detail. Prima facie, it seems to be suicide, we are conducting further investigation.”
Malaika Arora was not at home when her father passed away. The actor-model was reportedly in Pune and rushed back to Mumbai soon after learning about the incident.
