Vivacious Payal dreamed big, loved life

Family and friends of 21-year-old management student Payal Balsara, who succumbed to her injuries early on Tuesday after she was stabbed by her former boyfriend and classmate, described her as a jovial girl and an extrovert, reports Farhan Shaikh.

Family and friends of 21-year-old management student Payal Balsara, who succumbed to her injuries early on Tuesday after she was stabbed by her former boyfriend and classmate, described her as a jovial girl and an extrovert.

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On Tuesday afternoon, relatives and friends lined up outside her Prabhat colony residence to pay last respects.

The victim’s uncle, Praveen Balsara, described her as the darling of everyone in her Santacruz (east) colony, where she had stayed since her childhood.

“She wanted to do an MBA and the join her father’s business,” said Balsara. Another relative said she was keen on going abroad for further studies.

Payal, a student of Chetana College, Bandra (East), was stabbed eight times by Nitin Bankar in the college premises on Saturday, over a suspected soured relationship. Bankar killed himself after the incident.

A neighbour of the victim said: “We are still finding it difficult to believe that such a tragic thing happened to her.” Another neighbour described Payal as outgoing. “Everyone in the locality recognised her and she had several friends,” the neighbour said.

Bankar’s friends, on the other hand, said he had become increasingly withdrawn over the last three years. “He used to meet us in the evening and enjoyed cricket. However, this changed. He kept to himself and did not communicate with colony friends,” said Akshay Satare, 19.

Investigations have revealed that the boy did not spend much time at home. “His parents were also not aware that he was angry about their relationship souring,” said Avaduth S Chawan, senior inspector, Kherwadi police.

(Inputs from Priyanka Vora)