23 January,2017 07:54 AM IST | | Suraj Ojha
Hasham Makwana (65), who came out of jail after 20 years, speaks about how his son Sajeed suffered a sudden heart attack on seeing him a free man after two decades
Hasham Makwana
"I waited to meet my family for so long. I always thought that once I am out of this place, my family would be complete. It is so unfortunate that I have to return home without my son," said Makwana, with tears in his eyes.
Celebrations were planned
Makwana recalled, "Between 1996 to 2015, I was in Yerwada Jail and was later transferred to Kalamba Jail in Kolhapur. This year, my release was set for January 17 and I wanted to surprise my family, but the jail superintendent informed them and they came to receive me."
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On hearing of his father's impending release, a happy Sajeed had called up all his friends, business associates and relatives to share the news. He had even invited around 1,500 guests for a get-together to celebrate the occasion. "He bought new clothes for me, he ordered my favourite sweets. His excitement was beyond any words," said Makwana.
Fateful day
On the fateful day, after finishing all jail formalities, Makwana stepped out of the jail at around 12.30 pm to be greeted by 15 family members come to pick him up. "As soon as I came out," says Makwana, "my wife started crying and I asked her where Sajeed is. She told me he was waiting in the car since he was a little tired. But when he saw me, he hugged me. Then he suddenly felt sick and closed his eyes. I tried to wake him up, but he did not respond. We immediately rushed to the nearest hospital which was around 20 minutes away where the doctors declared him dead."
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Sajeed, who was handling the family construction business, also owned four hotels - one of which is in London.
Jail authorities say
Kalamba Jail superintendent, Sharad Shelke, told mid-day, "Hasham was a good-natured man and we were also happy about his release. Unfortunately, when the sad part of his life ended and he was going to be happy again, tragedy struck. As per the CCTV footage from the main gate, when Hasham was released, he headed to meet his family members who were in a car on the other side of the road. His son Sajeed was so happy to meet his father that when he met him, he complained of chest pain and fell."
