Grubby inmate worth Rs 2100 crore

MiD DAY gets exclusive photos of NRI hotelier tycoon Vikram Chatwal at a Byculla nursing home, where he was on secret drug rehab

MiD DAY gets exclusive photos of NRI hotelier tycoon Vikram Chatwal at a Byculla nursing home, where he was on secret drug rehab

The pictures of NRI hotelier tycoon Vikram Chatwal walking the grounds of Masina Hospital on page 1 were shot onu00a0Thursday a day before he was discharged.
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While Chatwal spent a month undergoing a hush-hush programme for drug rehabilitation at the nondescript Byculla hospital, it has now been revealed that actor and close friend Arjun Rampal admitted him to the hospital.

Divorced from model Priya Sachdev after a much-publicised 25-party marriage, Chatwal and Rampal were seen together at the Cannes film festival this year and the actor was also a guest on Chatwal's yatch in May.

Chatwal owns and runs five luxury boutique hotels in New York and Bangkok some of which have been inherited from his father, Sant Singh Chatwal. Rampal was not available for comment.

On Track: Vikram Chatwal walks the grounds of Masina Hospital, a day before his discharge on Dec 18

Chatwal spent his rehabilitation days in deluxe room no 1131 on the third floor of the hospital's nursing home (Bai Serenebai M Banajee Memorial Wing).

Sources said that Chatwal abused a variety of drugs and his health had deteriorated considerably and at the hospital, he was under the supervision of Dr Yusuf Machiswala.

While Dr Machiswala denied it, hospital sources confirmed he had in fact treated Chatwal.

Meanwhile, hospital sources at Masina have not revealed the exact nature of the drugs Chatwal had been abusing or the treatment, but during his stay the hotelier would visit the rehabilitation centre and attend sessions with the 15 other inmates.

According to film industry sources, this is not the first time that Chatwal has attended a rehabilitation programme.

A DIFFERENT HIGH: Vikram Chatwal with ex-wife Priya Sachdev, a model, at a party.

"He was earlier admitted to fancy rehabilitation centres in the US, but now preferred Mumbai because he is not a known face here compared to the US, where he would have been recognised immediately and come under media glare," the source said.

10 nights, 3 cities

Vikram Chatwal and Priya Sachdev's wedding was a lavish affair that had 600 guests from 26 countries, who were ferried around on chartered jets.

Guests included steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal and former US president Bill Clinton.