Filmmaker missing since Air India plane crash; kin fear he may be ground victim

Filmmaker missing since Air India plane crash; kin fear he may be ground victim

Filmmaker missing since Air India plane crash; kin fear he may be ground victim PTI | Jun 16, 2025 12:21 AM IST Share Via Copy Link Many of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition or damaged otherwise, authorities are carrying out DNA tests to establish the identity of the victims.

The family of a filmmaker have submitted DNA samples after he went missing on Thursday and his mobile phone location was last traced to just 700 metres away from the horrific Air India plane crash. 

Air India AI171 Boeing 787-7 Dreamliner aircraft crashed into the hostel complex of the BJ Medical College in Meghani Nagar area near Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport on June 12 and turned into a ball of flames.(PTI)

The aircraft crashed into the campus of a medical college in Meghaninagar moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:39pm on Thursday, killing 241 out of 242 on board as well as 29 on the ground. 

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Naroda-resident Mahesh Kalawadia, also known as Mahesh Jirawala, directs music albums and went to meet someone at Law Garden area that afternoon, his wife Hetal said. 

"My husband called me at 1.14pm 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. After police was intimated, the last location of his mobile phone showed he was 700 metres away from the crash site," she said. 

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"His phone got switched off around 1:40pm (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. We have submitted DNA samples to check if he was one of those killed on the ground due to the crash," Hetal added. 

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Since many of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition or damaged otherwise, authorities are carrying out DNA tests to establish the identity of victims of the horrific tragedy. 

Three days after the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, which has so far claimed 270 lives, hospital authorities confirmed on Sunday the identification of 47 victims through DNA matching. Authorities have handed over 24 bodies to the victims’ families, they added.