A Surrey travel agent has hailed her brother a hero after he saved 150 hostages during the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
Shobha Kuntawala, a travel consultant at Travel City in Norbury booked her brother Deepak and father Vinay on the trip as a celebration of her father’s retirement.
The two had been eating a final meal before setting out for the airport when they noticed a boat pull up to the hotel’s pier and watched militants open fire on the hotel.
Millionaire Deepak, who runs DVK Private Equity in Sutton, Surrey took cover with 100 other guests in a first floor lounge while the gunmen stormed the hotel.
After hiding for four hours in the smoke-filled room, Deepak decided it was time to take action. He organised the guests into groups and they set to work making ropes out of curtains and tablecloths.
The hostages were lowered safely out of a window to the ground within half an hour. However,Vinay, 68, broke his leg when he lost his grip and fell 30ft. He is now recovering in a Mumbai hospital.
Shobha told Travel Weekly: “I got a phone call to say they were caught up in terrorist attacks and couldn’t get out.It was surreal, like something out of a movie. Deepak said it was like the film Under Siege. He was so lucky to be alive.“
Shobha, 26,will bevisiting her brother and father in India for the next five weeks.
“My brother was so brave to get all those people out. He definitely deserves a bravery award,” she added.