French nationals Indian dream comes to a bitter end - the aftermath

The dream of a French national of Indian origin to teach his children the Indian way of life remained unfulfilled as both he and his wife were shot dead by terrorists at the Oberoi Trident Hotel on Wednesday night. The bodies of the couple that was claimed by a relative will be flown back to France for burial. Mr Mourad Amarsy (48), a successful entrepreneur in France had sold off his entire business to a Japanese firm last year and returned to India as he was in love with the country and its culture and additionally, wanted his children to learn to love and respect it. According to his cousin Gulam Raza Amarsy, who flew down to Mumbai on Saturday morning, Mourad was a very softhearted person and though the entire Amarsy family had settled in France for many decades, he had returned to India, as he wanted to get back to his roots. “It is very bizarre,” said a visibly shaken Gulam Raza. “The entire family is yet to come to terms with the fact that Mourad and Limiye are no more. Their children Naeem (12), Ilana (9) and Rayane (6) are still unaware that their parents have been killed. They are presently with their grandmother at her Bandra residence. We will be taking the children along with the bodies to France as there is no one to take care of them here,” added Gulam Raza.On Wednesday night, the couple had gone to the Oberoi Trident for dinner and expected to meet some people to discuss future business. According to sources, the couple’s bodies were found on the 18th floor of the hotel, which meant that they were held hostage by the terrorists and taken to the upper floors, where they were later shot dead. Mourad suffered a bullet injury to his heart while Limiye was hit four times. The bodies were found on Friday after the Indian army and NSG personnel had managed to rid the Oberoi Trident of the terrorists. The bodies were first sent to Sir J.J. Hospital where Gulam Raza identified his brother and sister-in-law. The bodies were then sent to Sion Hospital for a post-mortem, after which they were handed over to Gulam Raza on Saturday evening.

K.A. Dodhiya, The Asian Age