DUBAI: “Our son was a gem and did not deserve to die,” said the distraught mother of Girish Gurbaxani, 28, who plunged to his death from his 10th floor apartment in Al Seef 3 tower, Jumeirah Lakes Tower (JLT) just days before his first wedding anniversary.
Brigadier Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, head of the police Criminal Investigation Department, confirmed there was no foul play in the incident and that the death was a suicide. In a statement to the media he said the investigation was closed and efforts were on to hand over the body to the parents.
Around 10.40pm on April 6, Girish came to his parents’ bedroom to tell them something. Little did they know it would be the last time they would see their son alive.
Girish plunged from their kitchen balcony, landing on the terrace of the soon-to-open restaurant Chesters.
“He was lying in a pool of blood. This is the last thing parents should live to see,” said his inconsolable mother.
Girish was their only son.
He leaves behind his parents, wife and an elder sister who is married and lives in the UAE (their names have been withheld upon request).
Girish’s wife was not present when XPRESS visited the apartment and was unavailable for comment over phone.
As news of his death spread, tributes poured in for the Dubai-based banker.
“I wish I could to rewind my life to that moment when he came into my room and I just want to freeze my life there. I have nothing left now. I have lost everything. My son was very close to me. I was so attached to him, but now he is gone forever,” his mother said.
“My son would not hurt a soul. He never fought with anybody and was always kind to everyone. Girish has never stayed away from me and now I have to live my whole life without him. Why did this happen to us?”
A graduate from Swami Vivekananda College in Mumbai, Girish did his MBA from Manipal University in Dubai. He worked as Assistant Manager for a local bank. “He had very good relations with all his peers and colleagues. There was no reason for him to do anything untoward with his life,” said his aunt, Seema Mansukhani, 51.
His college friend Deepak Nichani, 27, said: “I always knew him to be a happy, bubbly, cheerful person. He was a prankster in college and pulled a lot of tricks on professors and students. He was like the clown of our class. Having said that, he was also very intelligent and did well in his studies.”
Recalling some cherished memories of their college days, Deepak said: “Girish was always creative. He was an out and out marketing guy and hosted a number of inter-college events. His presentations in college were always creative and he was a good public speaker. He was pretty much an all-rounder.”
Deepak said Girish married the “love of his life” last year on April 26. “Both knew each other for a while and neither families opposed the marriage. I even attended his engagement party in December 2011. His life was very sorted.”
Deepak said he last saw Girish in Mumbai in December 2012 during a college reunion. “We spoke on the phone less than a month back and planned to meet up sometime – and now he is gone forever.”
