Indian Restaurant Owner Accused Of Spiking Woman's Drink At UK Club, Possessing Dangerous Drug

Last Updated:February 04, 2026, 09:33 IST

An Indian-origin restaurateur is on trial in London after he was caught on CCTV adding a substance to a woman’s drink at an exclusive nightclub.

Police officers in the United Kingdom (AP)

An Indian-origin man connected with a portfolio of restaurants in the United Kingdom has gone on trial in London, accused of attempting to spike a woman’s drink at a nightclub two years ago.

Sixty-three-year-old Vikas Nath, who is associated with fine-dining Indian restaurants in London, has denied charges of attempting to administer a substance with intent and possession of a Class B dangerous drug.

The trial is being heard at Southwark Crown Court, where prosecutors told jurors this week that Nath accepts adding a substance to the woman’s drink but claims it was only to “relax" her.

Citing UK court proceedings, news agency PTI reported that the woman had invited Nath to Annabel’s, a private members’ club, and the two went to the rooftop bar where she ordered a cocktail.

When she left the table briefly to show friends around the club, two staff members noticed what they described as “rather strange actions" by Nath, who had been left alone with the group’s drinks.

According to the report, the staff watched as Nath used a straw to take liquid from a small bottle he was trying to hide and then drip it into the woman’s cocktail.

They alerted senior managers, replaced the drink before it could be consumed and later contacted the police.

Prosecutor Tim Clark, quoted from a BBC court report, told the jury, “His acceptance is not surprising. He had little choice because the spiking was captured on CCTV at Annabel’s."

Clark also said Nath tried to get rid of the evidence before officers arrived.

“Prior to the police arriving, Mr Nath clearly worked out that he had been rumbled. He tried to hide the evidence of what he had done, going to the lavatory and throwing that little bottle into the cistern, and it was floating about when the police recovered it," he said.

In a police interview following the January 2024 incident, Nath said he had obtained the liquid, gamma-butyrolactone, or GBL, as a cleaning fluid for a high-performance car and had been told by a friend that it could also be drunk with alcohol as a “relaxant".

He also told officers he did not realise it was illegal for him to possess GBL, a controlled Class B substance often referred to as a date-rape drug because of its extreme effects when consumed.

According to a report with The Times Of India, traces of the sleep-inducing drug were later found, and police discovered two more bottles under Nath’s sink at his home.

It further said prosecutors told the jury that Nath had sent messages to a friend expressing frustration that he had not had sex with the woman that evening.

News world Indian Restaurant Owner Accused Of Spiking Woman's Drink At UK Club, Possessing Dangerous Drug

Read More