Office staff benumbed by Merchant family suicide

Office staff benumbed by Merchant family suicide
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

MARCH 8: There is a hush in the office-cum-residence of the Merchant family at room 301, Merchants Chambers, Hill Road, Bandra. A lone girl, an office assistant dials numbers from a directory on the table. ``I have to tell you Shaban Ali Merchant is no more,'' she says quietly into the receiver, a bit tiredly. Another assistant sits with his head down listlessly.

The Merchant family, home to a tragedy of three suicides in a span of four days has clammed up to gurad against any intrusion. No names of family members or contact numbers are forthcoming. The police who seem to have some excellent contacts with the family are also guarded in their information.

According to a police sub inspector with the Bandra Police station,``The family had a raging argument on the issue on Saturday when the mother, Zarina and the son Ismat walked out. The property in question is surmised to be the towering building on Hill road which is already sporting a name other than the `Merchants Chambers' it was known as.

Asim Merchant, the other son, an upcoming model and the only surviving member in the family today had on Saturday given a police complaint saying his mother and brother were missing. Swinging into action, the police got in touch with Asim when a suspected suicide case was reported at Holiday Inn, a five-star hotel in Juhu on Monday, and asked him to identify the bodies.

More tragedy was in store for Asim when his father Shaban Ali, unable to come to terms with the death of his son and wife, committed suicide on Thursday in a lodge in Dahisar.

The funeral took place today according to traditional rites. An exhausted and grief-stricken Asim, staying with relatives at Versova, could not be contacted.