Unforseen deaths

Over two subsequent days in July 2005, three Parsis lost their lives in unforeseen circumstances. While Coomi and Kersi Cama, living in the Tata Mills Co-operative Society in Parel were burnt to death on July 21, 2005, Persy Phiroz Pagdiwala was found murdered in his Dadar flat the next day.

Coomi Cama, 59, a cancer victim who was finding it difficult to cope with her illness, allegedly tried to immolate herself at around 7 a.m. in the kitchen of their fifth floor flat after dousing herself with kerosene. Waking up to her screams of pain, husband Kersi, 60, rushed to her aid but in the process got badly burnt himself. After dousing the flames Kersi, with the skin on his hands, face and body peeling off from the burns, knocked on a neighbor’s door for help. They rallied around with ice and cold water, trying about half a dozen emergency ambulance services without any success. More than an hour later an ambulance carried them to the Masina Hospital but during the course of the day both of them succumbed to their injuries. There were different reports in the Press about Coomi’s mental health. While some say she was suffering from depression, other neighbors remarked that the couple was friendly and outgoing, and happily married for the last 30 years. Kersi had retired from Premier Automobiles. They had no children.

Chloroform recovered from the flat of 51-year-old Pagdiwala who stayed alone in his flat on Dinshaw Master Road in Dadar was presumably used to render the victim unconscious. A house broker cum social worker reportedly fond of wearing jewelry, his gold chain and ring and mobile were missing, according to sub-inspector Rupaji Gawli of the Sion police station. One of the two locks of the door was also opened. When Persy’s younger brother Rohinton failed to reach him on the cell phone, he went over to his brother’s place, a few lanes away from his own, where he found him strangulated on the floor, his hands tied and a towel stuffed in his mouth, as reported in The Times of India of July 24. For further clues the police were interrogating the ward boy from Masina Hospital who used to deliver Pagdiwala’s breakfast, it was reported in the Times.