DNA confirms filmmaker Mahesh Jirawala died in Ahmedabad plane crash

Ahmedabad: Filmmaker Mahesh Jirawala, who had been missing since the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last week, has been confirmed dead after DNA testing matched his remains, a senior police official said on Saturday. Jirawala, 34, was passing through the Meghaninagar area on his two-wheeler when the London-bound aircraft crashed into a hostel complex moments after taking off from Ahmedabad's international airport.

The crash, which killed 270 people — 241 on board and 29 on the ground — is one of the deadliest aviation disasters in India's history.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Sector 2), Jaipalsinh Rathore, said Jirawala’s identity was established through DNA testing. However, due to the family’s reluctance to accept the confirmation, police collected and presented supporting evidence including CCTV footage of the area and the remains of his burnt scooter, which had been recovered near the crash site. The scooter’s chassis and engine numbers matched the registration documents, further confirming the identity.

"To clear the family's doubts, we also traced his last mobile location, which was found near the accident site," Rathore added. "Jirawala’s family took possession of the body on Friday after the DNA results were conclusive."

The filmmaker, also known by the name Mahesh Kalavadiya, was a resident of Naroda in Ahmedabad and known for directing music albums. His wife, Hetal, told reporters that on the day of the crash, he had gone to meet someone in the Law Garden area. At 1:14 pm, he called her to say his meeting was over and he was heading home. When he failed to return and his phone was unreachable, the family grew alarmed and contacted the police.

Police investigations showed that his last mobile location was approximately 700 metres from the crash site. Despite this, his family initially refused to believe that he would have taken that route. Eventually, they submitted DNA samples to help confirm whether he was among the ground victims.

Authorities continue to rely on DNA testing to identify several of the deceased, as many bodies were charred beyond recognition.

With PTI inputs