How cops saved 21 guests from Oberoi

A police sub inspector recalls how he, along with an inspector and a team of constables, helped save the lives of 21 people at the besieged Oberoi Hotel. 

“During heavy firing by terrorists on the afternoon of November 27 at the Oberoi, five colleagues and I managed to save the lives of 20 tourists trapped on the 19th floor of the hotel, and of a lady customer who was lying injured in the lobby of the hotel since the night of November 26,” sub inspector Yogendra Pache, attached to the South Region office of Mumbai police, told DNA.

“After terrorists attacked the Oberoi hotel on November 26 night, we cordoned off the hotel from outside. The NSG operation began at the hotel next day, and one of the NSG commandos told the additional police commissioner (South Region), K Venkateshan, at around 1.30 pm that some tourists were trapped on the 19th floor,” Pache added.

On learning of the incident, police inspector Nishikant Kulkarni, sub inspector Suresh Vetal, constable Nilesh Kadam, two constables of the Quick Response Team (QRT)
and Pache, wearing bulletproof jackets and carrying SLRs, carbines and service revolvers, rushed up the staircase.

Pache remembers the Oberoi as being completely dark. “With help of our mobile lights, we carefully scaled the staircase. There was continuous firing between the terrorists and the NSG commandos, with hand grenades being lobbed by the terrorists. After 40 minutes, we managed to reach the 19th floor, where there was pin-drop silence. We saw 15 guests, sitting on the ground, shivering and crying,” Pache said.

“We told them we were policemen and brought them downstairs over the next 20 minutes. While going down, we saw a foreigner collapsed and bleeding - a bullet had hit him on his left toe. I threw him over my shoulder and brought him to the ground floor. He was rushed to Bombay Hospital for treatment. He was later identified as U Ping, a Singapore national.”

Pache recalls hearing a woman screaming for help. “I rushed to the spot again and was shocked to find bodies lying there in a pool of blood. I told the woman to keep quiet so that the terrorists would not hear her. I saw that the bullet had hit her below the waist and in her right hand, which was completely damaged. I asked constable Nilesh Kadam to bring a stretcher, we put her on it and brought her to the ground floor, from where she was taken to Bombay Hospital.

"The woman was later identified as Reshma Khiyani, a resident of Napeansea Road, who had come with her family for dinner at Tiffin restaurant, on the first floor, at 10 pm on November 26. After this, I again went to the 19th floor with my colleagues at around 3 pm, and brought four tourists down.”

Reshma’s brother-in-law Devansh Khiyani said, “Reshma was admitted to the ICU at Bombay Hospital, and doctors advised us not to disturb her. We are thankful to Pache and the team for rescuing her.”
k_dayanand@dnaindia.net
A police sub inspector recalls how he, along with an inspector and a team of constables, helped save the lives of 21 people at the besieged Oberoi Hotel. 
“During heavy firing by terrorists on the afternoon of November 27 at the Oberoi, five colleagues and I managed to save the lives of 20 tourists trapped on the 19th floor of the hotel, and of a lady customer who was lying injured in the lobby of the hotel since the night of November 26,” sub inspector Yogendra Pache, attached to the South Region office of Mumbai police, told DNA.
“After terrorists attacked the Oberoi hotel on November 26 night, we cordoned off the hotel from outside. The NSG operation began at the hotel next day, and one of the NSG commandos told the additional police commissioner (South Region), K Venkateshan, at around 1.30 pm that some tourists were trapped on the 19th floor,” Pache added.
On learning of the incident, police inspector Nishikant Kulkarni, sub inspector Suresh Vetal, constable Nilesh Kadam, two constables of the Quick
Response Team (QRT)
and Pache, wearing bulletproof jackets and carrying SLRs, carbines and service revolvers, rushed up the staircase.
Pache remembers the Oberoi as being completely dark. “With help of our mobile lights, we carefully scaled the staircase. There was continuous firing between the terrorists and the NSG commandos, with hand grenades being lobbed by the terrorists. After 40 minutes, we managed to reach the 19th floor, where there was pin-drop silence. We saw 15 guests, sitting on the ground, shivering and crying,” Pache said.
“We told them we were policemen and brought them downstairs over the next 20 minutes. While going down, we saw a foreigner collapsed and bleeding - a bullet had hit him on his left toe. I threw him over my shoulder and brought him to the ground floor. He was rushed to Bombay Hospital for treatment. He was later identified as U Ping, a Singapore national.”
Pache recalls hearing a woman screaming for help. “I rushed to the spot again and was shocked to find bodies lying there in a pool of blood. I told the woman to keep quiet so that the terrorists would not hear her. I saw that the bullet had hit her below the waist and in her right hand, which was completely damaged. I asked constable Nilesh Kadam to bring a stretcher, we put her on it and brought her to the ground floor, from where she was taken to Bombay Hospital. The woman was later identified as Reshma Khiyani, a resident of Napeansea Road, who had come with her
family for dinner at
Tiffin restaurant, on the first floor, at 10 pm on November 26. After this, I again went to the 19th floor with my colleagues at around 3 pm, and brought four tourists down.”
Reshma’s brother-in-law Devansh Khiyani said, “Reshma was admitted to the ICU at Bombay Hospital, and doctors advised us not to disturb her. We are thankful to Pache and the team for rescuing her.”
k_dayanand@dnaindia.net