'All I want is my son's body for his last rites'

'All I want is my son's body for his last rites'

Rakesh Talreja was working at an electronics store in Jamaica

The tears of Vasai resident Prakash Talreja have not stopped flowing ever since he heard that his 23-year-old son Rakesh has been shot dead, in a country far away. Now, all he wants is the body of his son who was killed in a robbery at his workplace in Jamaica on Thursday night.

Rakesh's father Prakash Talreja

Rakesh was in Jamaica to make a better future for himself. He'd been living there for two years and worked at an electronics showroom in the Caribbean country. On Thursday night, three men had entered the store, pretending to be customers. They then pointed a gun at the three salesmen present, including Rakesh, demanding that they empty the cash register. Two of the salesmen agreed, while Rakesh refused to act on the trio's orders.

Rakesh's mother Jyoti are inconsolable

Shot by burglars
The men then shot at all three of them, injuring two and killing Rakesh.

All three were rushed to the hospital, but Rakesh was declared dead before admission. The owner of the showroom called Rakesh's cousin Chandan Ahuja, who later delivered the unfortunate news to his father yesterday morning.

Back home, Rakesh was working as a caterer. A few years ago, he went to Guyana and worked there for two-and-half-years. Later, he left the job and returned to India. He was unemployed for a few months before he again got the opportunity to work in Jamaica.

Would call every Sunday
Prakash said that his son used to call them every Sunday and tell them about his week.

Last Sunday, too, Rakesh had called but since the mobile network was poor, they could not hear him clearly. Rakesh then said he would call them later and hung up.

"I did not know that would be the last conversation between us. I do not expect anything now. I just want Rakesh's body back for the last rites."

Rakesh is survived by his elder brother and parents. His parents reside at Ambadi Road, Vasai West.

Prakash works in an electric switch-making company while his mother Jyoti is a homemaker. His elder brother works as an accountant in South America.