Mumbai, Jun 12: Faraaz Merchant, the 12-year-old son of noted criminal lawyer Rizwan Merchant, made several calls to his father's cellphone while still buried under the rubble of the six-storey Altaf Manzil building in Mahim that collapsed Monday evening.
The two, however, could not speak to each other. Soon after midnight, Faraaz stopped responding to calls, a family member told The Indian Express. At around 11 am Tuesday, his mangled body was recovered.
"My son was so cold. I held him in my arms, he stayed immobile," said Merchant, 54, known for having defended actor Sanjay Dutt in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.
Merchant's wife Asifa and mother Tahera were among the nine others who died.
Two caged parrots which the family kept as pets were removed safely.
While a part of Altaf Manzil, the Merchant family's home for over three decades, was reduced to rubble, another part stood intact. Marble flooring, white paint and a dining space were visible from outside.
Barring Merchant, the rest of the family had just returned from a trip to Turkey on Monday morning. Merchant, his eldest son Faiz, also a lawyer, and daughter Fiza, were in his office in South Mumbai, when he received a call, a little after 8:30 pm, from neighbours informing him about the collapse.
"Merchant rushed home, and remained at the spot, hoping for a miracle. The family lived on the first floor, where the impact was the worst," said Farhana Shah, an associate lawyer.
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