Hotelier Lalit D'Souza Shoots Sister 6 Times after Parking Dispute
from DNA and other sources - pics - Rons Bantwal
Mumbai, Oct 29: Lalit D’Souza, who owns a chain of restaurants in the city, shot his sister Laurna six times after a heated argument over parking at their posh Cuffe Parade residence, Sainara, around 3.30 am on Sunday.
Police said D’Souza, 37, and Laurna, 40, were in an inebriated state at the time and that they were not on good terms because of a property dispute. Laurna is in the ICU at Bombay hospital.
Minutes after pumping the bullets into his sister, Lalit walked to the nearby Cuffe Parade police station and surrendered. He also handed over his licensed 9mm Smith and Wesson.
According to the police, Lalit returned home after a party with his girlfriend in her car around 3 am. Half an hour later when Laurna returned she found the girlfriend’s car in her way. She got into an argument with the watchman Ram Kishore who called out to Lalit, who was uploading his party photographs on his computer.
Brother and sister then had a blazing row and, in a fit of rage, D'Souza emptied his gun into Laurna, police said. Despite her wounds, Laurna used her mobile phone, called up her sister Laura and said “Lalit shot me?” While putting her in a cab and rushing to Bombay Hospital, Laura recorded Laurna’s statement on her mobile phone.
A spokesperson for Bombay Hospital Dr Ashish Tiwari said: “Laurna is kept under observation in the ICU and is stable. She sustained six bullets in her chest, abdomen and right arm.”
Lalit who was booked under section 307 (attempt to murder) of Indian Penal Code, was produced in a city court which remanded him to police custody till October 31.
Waiting outside the ICU at Bombay Hospital, Laura said that “There was a family dispute over sharing the ancestral property - the ownership of six restaurants in Mumbai.” She said their father had not prepared a will, which led to confusion over partition of the property.
Laurna and Laura share a seventh floor flat with Lalit in Sainara. The two sisters live in one portion and the brother in the other.
Cuffe Parade police inspector P N Jagtap said: “We are preparing a list of all the family property details to take the case further.”
Daijiworld's Mumbai bureau adds:
This is the second instance of its kind taking place in Mumbai in the recent past.
Sources at Bombay Hospital said bullets have been surgically removed from Laura's body and she is currently out of danger.
Their father Timothy D'Souza, erstwhile president of Association of Hotels and Restaurants (AHAR). The family owns hotels in Fort, Stock Exchange, Worli and Suratkal in Mangalore. D'Souza, who had survived a physical attack by underworld elements, had later settled down in Suratkal and founded Hotel Lalit there.
The spot
The incident took place at about 3.30 am at Sainara Building at Rambhau Salgaonkar Cross Road, Captain Prakash Pethe Marg in Cuffe Parade.
Police inspector P N Jagtap of Cuffe Parade police station says:
“The accused and the victim stay in flat no.71 on the seventh floor of the building. They have two other sisters, one of whom also stays with them in the same flat. About six years ago, their father Timothy D’Souza was shot at by members of the Amar Naik gang in the same building and suffered from paralysis and eventually died in 2003. Since then Lalit has been involved in a property dispute with his sisters, who have put up partitions in their flat,”
“At about 3 am on Sunday, Lalit returned home from a party with his girlfriend in her car. They parked the car in the parking area of the building and went to his flat. Meanwhile, Laurna also returned home from a party and spotted Lalit’s girlfriend’s car. She asked the watchman to call down Lalit, and soon a heated argument ensued between the two over parking space. Both of them had consumed alcohol. In a fit of rage, Lalit took out his Smith and Wesson revolver and shot at his sister six times. After asking his girlfriend to go home, he walked to Cuffe Parade police station and surrendered along with the weapon,” said Jagtap.
Deputy police commisssioner of police (zone I) Brijesh Singh says:
"Lalit owns several restaurants and bars in south Mumbai, including Lalit Bar and Restaurant in Fort. There has been a long-standing property dispute between Lalit and his sisters. There are court papers to prove this. We believe that this was the reason behind the firing. We have arrested Lalit and booked him for attempt to murder."
Laura, one of Lalit's three sisters says:
“Our father died on April 7, 2003 without leaving a will. He owned six restaurants in Mumbai and a three star hotel in Mangalore. Within a month, Lalit took over all the properties and tried to throw us out on to the streets. We filed a law-suit and got back two of the restaurants. Lalit threatened us and told us that he would take over these properties as well. I got a call from Laurna seconds after the incident this morning. She said that she had been shot by Lalit and needed help. I rushed down and picked her up with the help of a watchman and took her to Bombay Hospital. My sister has always been a fighter, and she has to pull through her fight for life now.”
A similar recent case: