Pooja Rajan, her husband Sunder Balakrishnan, and their daughter Vedika were celebrating Diwali with a family get-together at their flat until around midnight. Pooja’s parents, who live two buildings away, had stayed for the celebrations but left afterward.
Pooja, daughter of businessman Rajan, a Keralite settled in Navi Mumbai for nearly three decades, worked as a legal advisory leader in a pharma company. Her husband Sunder, a supply chain enthusiast, worked with an American company, frequently juggling responsibilities between the US and India.
"He was home for Diwali and on Monday night they had a family get-together at their flat till close to midnight. After that, Pooja's parents left. They stayed with their son, two buildings away," said Assistant Commissioner of Police Adinath Budhwant.
Family Realizes Danger as Fire Spreads
According to a family friend, Pooja contacted her father when the fire started. "She had not thought that the fire would spread till the 12th floor as it started from the 10th floor. By the time it spread to the 12th floor, they couldn't step out. She had called her father and informed that they were stuck in the bathroom," the friend said.
Attempts to Rescue Blocked by Smoke
Meanwhile, when the fire brigade team knocked on their door, there was no response from inside. "When Pooja's family saw that their daughter and her family were not among the rescued, her brother went to the common terrace from another wing and reached the 12th floor but couldn’t go to the flat due to the heavy smoke," added the family friend.
Darkness and Smoke Cause Confusion
"When there was a short circuit, there was total darkness on the floors along with heavy smoke. They would have found it very confusing and difficult to understand what was happening outside or decide which way to go, and hence got stuck inside," ACP Budhwant added.
