An Indian-origin millionaire restaurateur, Vikas Nath, has admitted in a London court that he added a controlled substance to a woman’s drink at an exclusive private club, saying he did so to help her “relax” and not with any sexual intent.
The incident took place in January 2024 at Annabel’s, a high-profile members-only club in Mayfair, London. Nath, 63, who owns several luxury restaurants in the UK and Europe, was having drinks with the woman at the club’s rooftop bar. According to prosecutors, Nath used a straw to mix GBL, a sedative drug often linked to drink-spiking cases, into her margarita.
The situation was noticed by alert club staff, who became suspicious after seeing Nath interfere with the drink. They immediately intervened, removed the glass before the woman could take a sip, and served her a fresh drink. Senior staff then informed the police.
When officers arrived, Nath reportedly tried to get rid of the bottle containing the substance by throwing it into a toilet cistern. However, the bottle was recovered, and forensic tests confirmed it contained GBL.
In court, Nath accepted that he had spiked the drink but denied that he intended to sexually assault the woman. He told the court that his actions were meant to calm her, a claim strongly challenged by prosecutors. CCTV footage shown to the jury clearly captured the moment he tampered with the drink.
The woman, whose identity has been protected, told the court she felt “shocked and betrayed.” She said she had met Nath socially before and never imagined he would do something like this. She also recalled that Nath had oddly warned her about drink spiking on earlier occasions, which now felt disturbing in hindsight.
Prosecutors also presented messages suggesting Nath was unhappy about the lack of intimacy in their relationship, and said bottles of the same substance were later found at his home.
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