A STOCKPORT-based doctor from Mumbai has told of his fear for his family and home city in the wake of the terror attacks.

Dr Deepak Gupta, 34, anxiously contacted relatives in the Indian city after hearing about the attacks, which left hundreds dead and injured.

His sister lives three miles from the atrocities. She avoided the attacks, but her neighbour was killed in the crossfire as she emerged from a building with her child, Dr Gupta said.

The consultant psychiatrist, who lives in Great Moor with his wife and child, said: "The attacks have taken their toll on ordinary people. Tourists and police officers have been killed. It has spread across the world in its impact and I'm just shocked the terrorists could so easily walk into Mumbai and devastate it - my home."

The doctor worked at Mumbai's Cama Hospital in the mid 1990s.

Yesterday, the large hospital was turned into a terrifying war zone, with reports of shooting and hostages.

Dr Gupta also ate at the restaurant of the iconic Taj Mahal Hotel from time to time.

The lobby became a blood bath yesterday, after gunmen lay siege to it.

The doctor, who is currently based at the Royal Oldham Hospital, said: "I'm not surprised that Cama Hospital became a target. It's very close to the police headquarters in south Mumbai and close to the railway station, so it was strategically located. The hospital is more than a hundred years old and caters for mothers and babies - not violence."

Dr Gupta's parents were safe in the north of the city as the targeted military-style attacks took place. They, like other Mumbai residents, are resilient, he said.

He added: "Everyone is angry. Being the business capital of India, it is devastating that this has happened again.

"But, like most people, my father seemed confident that the militants will be shot down or caught."

Dr Gupta paid tribute to a top police officer who was killed as he pursued terrorists in the attacks.

Vijay Salaskar was a 'top gun' renowned for his fight against the mafia, the doctor said.

He was a familiar face on TV and an admired crime-fighter, the doctor said.

He added: "Mumbai is a tough city and looking back into its past gives me solace. I've always been a proud Mumbaiker and I know people will pick themselves up, even from something this tragic. Life must go on."