Lotika Lawrence, a resident of Lucknow, was among the lucky survivors of 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.

An airhostess with Lufthansa Airlines, Lotika, along with five of her crew members, was confined in room number 1511 of Hotel Oberoi till the NSG commandoes rescued them at 11.30 am on November 28. The crew also included four German nationals.

While Lotika was trapped in the room, her relatives in Lucknow could not even wink for over 36 hours.

A steady throng of neighbours kept visiting her house at A-18, Mayur Vihar Colony to assure her parents — R A Lawrence and Monica Lawrence — of her safety.

Monica, a teacher at the Lucknow Christian College, narrated the nightmarish experience of her daughter.

“Lotika had checked in with her colleagues at the hotel at 9 am on November 26. They were to fly to Frankfurt the same night,” she said.

“We knew that Lotika was in Mumbai but had no inkling about her location. She called me around 4 am on November 27 telling that she was trapped in Hotel Oberoi,” she added.

“Lotika kept calling us every hour and we heard gunshots in the background. We remained glued to the news channels,” said Monica.

In the evening of November 27, Lotika received a call from the commandoes assuring them that they will be rescued soon. They asked her to open the door only after hearing the word — ‘housekeeping’.

Another call came in the morning before the command-oes arrived at her room around 11.30 am and rescued them.

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