Indian-origin businessman found guilty in drink spike case in UK

London: An Indian-origin businessman on trial in London was on Friday found guilty of intentionally spiking the drink of a woman with a dangerous drug at a nightclub two years ago.

Vikas Nath, associated with fine-dining Indian restaurants in London, had denied the charges of trying to administer a substance with intent and possession of a banned drug.

However, a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London convicted him of administering a substance with intent to commit a sexual offence and possession of a controlled Class B drug.

The 63-year-old has been remanded in custody to be sentenced at a later date.

"Nath's actions were despicable and sinister, adding a dangerous drug to a woman's drink while she wasn't present in an attempt to enable sexual activity," said Detective Constable (DC) Louis Prior, of the Metropolitan Police's Public Protection Command.

"Thanks to the quick-thinking actions of the venue's staff and the thorough work of the attending officers and investigation team, Nath was prevented from causing harm to the victim and is now held accountable for his actions.

"I commend the strength of this victim throughout the investigation. It's hard to imagine how she is feeling after discovering Nath's predatory intentions, however she has demonstrated immense strength and courage," he said.

The five-day trial this week heard that Nath was arrested and charged by the Met Police within 24 hours of attempting to spike the woman's drink at Annabel's, an exclusive London club where she was a member, back in January 2024.

An investigation was launched after officers were called to a report from members of staff, who had witnessed Nath use a straw to transfer liquid from a small bottle into the drink of the woman and swapped it in time.

On police arrival, officers searched Nath finding no drugs in his possession.

A review of CCTV from inside the venue revealed the businessman had removed a small bottle from his trouser pocket and used a straw to transfer liquid from the bottle into the woman's drink on two occasions before going to the toilet.

Officers searched the toilet and located a discarded bottle in the cistern of the toilet in the cubicle, the Met Police revealed.

"The spiked drink was analysed by forensic officers, showing it to be GBL, a rare but dangerous substance with the ability to incapacitate those who ingest it. Officers searched his home address and located two larger bottles of unlabelled clear liquid under his kitchen sink. This was also tested and found to be GBL," the force stated.

GBL or gamma-butyrolactone is referred to as a date-rape drug due to its extreme effects when consumed. DC Prior reassured members of the public that his team at the Met Police is "better trained than ever" to investigate spiking offences and works closely with night-time venues across London to ensure that staff are acutely aware of what to do should they become concerned.

Alongside public engagement, Met Police officers are said to be exploring the use of specialist vape-spiking detection equipment capable of rapidly testing vapes suspected to contain dangerous drugs such as Spice.

This technology, already deployed in nightclubs, festivals and schools, is part of a wider toolkit that includes mobile drug testing equipment and near infra-red detectors supported by a mobile app, which can quickly identify powders and tablets suspected of containing controlled substances, the Met Police said.

It added that this crackdown on spiking offences resulted in a 125 per cent increase in criminal charges last year, compared to 2024.