DNA Tests Underway as Filmmaker Mahesh Jirawala Disappears in Tragic Air India Plane Crash Disaster
Ahmedabad, June 16, 2025 — Mahesh Jirawala, also known as Mahesh Kalawadia, a filmmaker and music album director from Naroda, remains missing following the tragic Air India flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad. His family fears he may have been one of the victims on the ground when the aircraft crashed into the campus of a medical college in Meghaninagar.
The ill-fated flight took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:39 pm on Thursday but crashed moments later, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, along with 29 individuals on the ground. So far, the disaster has claimed a total of 270 lives.
According to Hetal Kalawadia, Mahesh Jirawala’s wife, he had gone to meet someone in the Law Garden area earlier that afternoon. She said, “My husband called me at 1:14 pm to say his meeting was over and that he was on his way home. But he never returned. When I tried calling him, his phone was switched off.”
Police investigations revealed Mahesh Jirawala’s mobile phone last pinged about 700 meters from the crash site, around 1:40 pm — just a minute after the plane took off. His scooter and mobile phone remain missing, and his route home that day was reportedly unusual, which deepens the family’s concern.
Due to the severity of the crash, many bodies on the ground were badly burnt or damaged beyond recognition. Hetal Kalawadia shared that the family has submitted DNA samples in the hope of identifying Mahesh Jirawala, suspecting he may have been among those killed on the ground.
Authorities continue to conduct DNA testing to confirm identities of victims. As of Sunday, 47 victims have been identified through DNA matching, and 24 bodies have been handed over to their families.
The search and identification process continues amid widespread grief over the devastating tragedy that shook Ahmedabad and the entire nation.
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