Bollywood actress and model Malaika Arora's stepfather, Anil Mehta, died on September 11 by suicide in Mumbai. According to ANI, Mumbai Police have confirmed that "jumped off a terrace of his building". He was 62.
Mehta was married to Malaika and Amrita's mother Joyce Polycarp, but they divorced, only to re-unite years later. At the time of his death, Joyce and Anil were living together in an apartment in Mumbai.
"Father of actress-model Malaika Arora died by suicide by jumping off a terrace. Police team is present at the spot," said Mumbai police to ANI. The tragedy occured at 9am, India time. He lived on the sixth floor, according to the local police.
The body has been sent for post-mortem and a probe is underway, police said.
According to reports, Malaika Arora's ex-husband, Arbaaz Khan, is now with the grieving family. Malaika was reportedly in Pune and has now reached Mumbai.
The reasons to why Anil Kuldip Mehta took this extreme step is yet to be known.
Little is known about Malaika Arora and Amrita Arora's stepfather as he kept a low profile. Barring a few family outing pictures, he was rarely seein in the public eye. A punjabi by origin, he was with Indian Merchant Navy, as per reports.
The sisters also put out a post on their social media, saying their are in deep shock.
"We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear father, Anil Mehta. He was a gentle soul, a devoted grandfather, a loving husband, and our best friend. Our family is in deep shock by this loss., we kindly request privacy from the media and well-wishers during this difficult time."
Their stepfather's sudden death has prompted massive media attention, pushing stars like Varun Dhawan to slam the Mumbai paparazzi for being aggressive while covering a personal tragedy.
