The `King of Good Times’, liquor baron Vijay Mallya took Jet Airways flight 9W122 to London on March 2, as he was facing the heat from the lending banks, to whom he owes US$ 1 billion in debts.
He was accompanied by a woman passenger, all media channels reported. The media channels also reported that Mr Mallya’s seat number was 1D and he had checked-in with seven baggages.
But the identity of the woman passenger was unknown to all, until News X identified her. The woman who accompanied Mr Mallya to London on March 2 is Pinky Lalwani, former Kingfisher Airline employee and long-standing companion of Vijay Mallya.
Rumours say that Lalwani is Mr Mallya’s muse, who stood by him in his good times, and continues to stand by him in his bad times. According to a few sources, Mallya and Lalwani had tied the knot sometime ago, but the information is unverified.
Lalwani has often been spotted close to Mr Mallya’s mother and also been present at the lavish parties that he hosted, attending to the arriving guests.
The relationship between Mallya and Lalwani started in 2011, after which she was often spotted and photographed with the family. She has also been his regular travel companion. But, still not a lot is known about her.
But, if the reports that both have tied the knot are true, it would make Lalwani Mr Mallya’s third wife. Vijay Mallya had married airhostess Samira Tyabjee, whom he later divorced in 1993. Mr Mallya’s son Siddharth Mallya, who is now aspiring to become an actor, was born out of that marriage.
After that Mr Mallya married Rekha, his neighbour from childhood days. Rekha had been married twice earlier. She had a daughter from the first marriage and a son and daughter from the second. Vijay Mallya and Rekha have two daughters, Tanya and Leanna.
Mallya, it is reported treats Rekha’s children from her previous marriages as his own. However over the years Mallya and Rekha have drifted apart and Rekha now reportedly lives in the United States.