Popular UAE restaurant group owner dies in India

Dubai: V.P. Abdulla Mahmood, owner of popular Indian restaurant chain in the UAE ‘Eat & Drink’, died in his hometown in the south Indian state of Kerala on Monday. A senior company executive told Gulf News that Abdulla, 62, was undergoing treatment for cancer in the US and India for the past six months. “He and his wife Zainaba were back at home in Kozhikode. He was admitted in Aster MIMS Hospital yesterday after his condition worsened. He passed away around 5pm today (Monday),” said Nishanth Arippoovil, HR manager of the group. Funeral The couple has two daughters and a son, all of whom are UAE residents. Nishanth said all family members had flown to Kerala to attend the funeral of Abdulla on Tuesday. Established in 1982, the Eat & Drink group emerged from humble beginnings to become a renowned name in the restaurant and catering industry in the UAE. The group currently has 40 branches and more than 1,000 employees. Offering condolences for his death on social media, several community members in the UAE remembered Abdulla as a man who supported the community in various ways apart from the jobs that put food on the table for several families in the UAE. Back home, Abdulla was the managing editor of Malayalam newspaper ‘News Kerala’. He was the chairman of CBSE school ‘Sapphire Central School’ and managing director of some other business establishments in Kerala. Source: Gulf News