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Mauris Noronha (1975-2024) was an Indian businessman, poker player, social worker, and politician. He gained attention during the COVID-19 lockdown for distributing ration kits and other essential items to more than 6 lakh needy people. He committed suicide by shooting himself after shooting the politician Abhishek Ghosalkar during a Facebook Live session on 8 February 2024.
Wiki/Biography
Mauris Oliver Noronha was born on Monday, 22 December 1975 (age 48 years; at the time of death) in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. His zodiac sign is Capricorn. He spent his childhood in the Dhobi Talao area of South Mumbai before his family moved to North Mumbai. He did his schooling at Our Lady Of Dolours High School, Mumbai. He then pursued an MBA from Mumbai and later moved to the USA, where he played poker.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Bald
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Joseph Noronha, and his mother’s name is Fanny Noronha.
Wife & Children
He got married on 15 January 2005 to Sareena Noronha who runs a salon named Faith Salon in Borivali. He had a daughter named Sariah Noronha.
Religion
He followed Christianity. He was a Roman Catholic.
Career
Poker Player & Businessman
After completing his formal education, he worked as a bartender on Disney Cruise Liners for around a decade and later became a professional poker player, playing primarily in Las Vegas, USA. He worked in the US for eight years and in Dubai for four years before returning to India in 2003. He also owned a finance business in India.
Social Worker & Politician
Mauris Noronha started working as a social worker during the COVID-19 lockdown. He was planning to move to the USA with his family after COVID-19; however, when he saw other people from his locality struggling to get food and earn money, he started donating food and other essential items to them.
He also provided more than 250 women with sewing machines so that they could learn sewing and become self-sufficient. He had saved around $ 250,000 (Rs 2 crore) to show as the necessary funds for moving to the USA; however, he spent around Rs 1.5 crore during COVID-19 to help the poor, needy, and underprivileged. He had also saved Rs 70 lakhs to pay for the housing loan but changed his plan to help people. He contested the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections in 2022 from ward number 1 of Dahisar which he lost.
Controversy
Rape Allegations
In June 2022, he was arrested when he returned from the US to India. A 48-year-old woman, resident of IC Colony, Borivali West complained that Mauris raped her in 2018 at his home. She said that she and her husband first met him in 2014 at a gym. He later enquired about the land that the couple wanted to sell and also gifted her a mobile phone on her birthday. In 2015, the couple invested Rs 88 lakh into his cosmetic business, Faith Salon.
On 14 March 2018, Noronha called the woman to her house on the pretext of repayment and started forcing himself onto her and also took photos while touching her inappropriately. He threatened to leak the photos on social media and get her husband killed by the gang members of Dawood Ibrahim. Police arrested him under the IPC (Indian Penal Code) sections 376, 420, 354 (B and C), and 506 for rape, outraging the modesty of a woman, cheating, and threatening.
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- Dadasaheb Phalke Icon Award in 2020
- 10th Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Award in 2020
- Honoured by Kotak Mahindra Bank in 2020
- PVS Corona Warrior Award at Patrakar Sangh Awards in 2020
- Covid Hero of the Year Award at the Midday Showbiz Icon Awards in 2020
- Featured in India Today magazine in January 2021
- Great Young Achievers Award in 2021
- Philanthropist of the Year Award in 2021
- Buddha Peace Award in 2021
- Times Men of the Year Award in 2021
- Maharashtra Gaurav Award in 2021
Tattoos
He had several tattoos inked on his both arms.
Death
Mauris Noronha committed suicide by shooting himself on 8 February 2024; he was 48 years old at that time. He did a Facebook Live with Abhishek Ghosalkar, son of a prominent Shiv Sena UBT leader, Vinod Ghosalkar, and the duo reportedly met to end their enmity and become friends for the development of the IC colony area. Allegedly, Noronha believed that Ghosalkar implicated him in a false rape case and killed him. His last words were ‘God Bless You All’ before shooting Ghosalkar and killing himself.
Facts/Trivia
- His inspiration behind social work was Mother Teresa and Salman Khan. He also credited God as the reason behind his ability to do good works for society.
- He liked swimming and playing billiards during his leisure time.
- The people of his area fondly called him Mauris Bhai.
- He used to drink alcoholic beverages during parties.