Couple recently got back together for child’s sake

NEW DELHI: Police on Wednesday said preliminary probe had revealed that Pankaj and Priya Mehra were going through a troubled phase in their marriage; it was only recently that Priya had returned home after staying away for several months.
Their only child, Naish — for whom the couple apparently reconciled their differences — however, may never be able to understand what transpired inside the car that took away his mother.But on Wednesday, trauma was writ large on the face of the two-year-old child.
The boy, who celebrated his birthday just a week ago, had a narrow escape when his mother took the bullet that missed him only by chance as he was seated on her lap in the front seat. Scarred by the incident, family members are worried about his future.
His aunt, Ritu Sharma, said: “Naish will be going to school from next year. What is the guarantee that the killers may not target us again? We may seek security for both Naish and Pankaj.”
Meena, Pankaj’s elder sister, said: “This weekend, we had planned to go for a movie together. Priya was very excited about it. Sadly, our lives have now changed forever. Naish was very attached to his mother and never left her side. Ironically, he was the closest to her even as she breathed her last.”
As Pankaj mostly stayed away at work, a drive late at night was the only quality time the family spent together. His extended family members said the couple were very tight-lipped about their finances and never sought any help. It was only after the horrifying incident that they came to know that Pankaj was in debt.
Police said that Pankaj had opened the restaurant after his cloth business failed two years back.