Family trip to Pahalgam ends in tragedy for 3 cousins from Dombivali: ‘Texted him in the morning; 6 hours later, learnt he was killed’

Joshi, who stayed in a fourth-floor flat at Savitri Cooperative Housing Society (CHS) in the Bhagshala Maidan area, worked as a senior executive with a private cargo company in Andheri. He had recently placed his aged father at a daycare home and had gone to Kashmir with his wife Monica, an accountant, and son Dhruv, 16, who had appeared for his SSC exams.

Joshi had gone to Kashmir with his maternal cousins Mone, 43, and Lele, 50, and their respective families. Mone, a Central Railway officer, stayed in Shriram Anchal CHS in Thakurwadi, Dombivali (West). He had gone to Kashmir with his wife Anushka, 35, and daughter Richa, 18. Lele stayed in Vijayshree CHS in Vishnu Nagar, Dombivali West, and had gone to Kashmir along with his wife Kavita, 46, and son Harshal, 20.

Jondhale, who stays on the first floor of the same building as Joshi, recalled that his neighbour was a fun-loving, calm, and composed person. “He was our society’s secretary (for the past five years) and because of his polite and understanding behaviour, our society has been very peaceful. We have never seen any disputes in the building. Joshi would resolve it,” Jondhale said.

“Dhruv had messaged his uncle that his family was safe. So we were a little relaxed. But later, we found that Joshi was killed,” Jondhale added.

Another neighbour, Dr G N Pachpande, 60, who lives opposite Joshi’s flat, recalled that he was a fun-loving person. “He treated me like his friend. They had told me to take care of the house as they were going to Kashmir. When I first heard the news, I contacted the Jammu and Kashmir hotline number and verified the information. I was shocked. We (society residents) were leaving for the police station but the police arrived here, searching for Joshi’s residence,” Pachpande added.

Another neighbour and friend of Joshi, Ravi Kumar Nadar, a pharmacist, recalled, “He had cracked a joke before leaving for Kashmir. I had a good laughing session with him just before he left.”

Joshi’s family friend Rajesh Prasade, 62, who lives in nearby Ganesh Nagar, said they used to play badminton together. “His son would take me to his home on his birthdays. We are shocked by the tragedy. They killed 27 people, our forces should kill 270 of them, the terrorists and not ordinary Pakistanis. Terrorists killed innocent people, we must take revenge and do a surgical attack. They will definitely hear from us,” Prasade said.

The bodies of all three cousins will be brought to Maharashtra and be placed at the Bhagshala Maidan for paying tributes. The final rituals will be performed at Hindi Shmashan Bhoomi in Dombivali (East).