Istanbul nightclub attack: 2 Indians including film producer Abis Rizvi killed

Two Indians were among 39 people killed in the terror attack in Istanbul in Turkey early on Sunday.

Bollywood film producer Abis Rizvi and Khushi Shah from Gujarat were killed when a terrorist went on a shooting spree at a nightclub shortly after New Year commenced.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj broke the news over Twitter. “I have a bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack,” Sushma tweeted shortly after Embassy of India in Ankara conveyed the news to the MEA headquarters.

India’s Ambassador to Turkey Rahul Kulshreshth left for Istanbul from Ankara after the Turkish government confirmed that two Indians were among those killed in the incident. Rizvi was the son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Nationalist Congress Party general secretary A H Rizvi.

Abis Rizvi was the director and CEO of Rizvi Group of companies. The Rizvi family is into construction and real estate business and runs several prominent educational institutions. Rizvi had produced Roar: Tigers of the Sundarbans, a film written and directed by Kamal Sadanah.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed “heartfelt condolences” to the Government and people of Turkey on the “tragic loss of lives” in Istanbul.