Malaysian, Oct 13 : Businessman Vinod Sekhar, chairman and CEO of Petra Group, was attacked last week in London by two unidentified assailants outside his daughter Tara’s apartment near Battersea Power Station. Despite suffering minor bruises and bleeding, Sekhar emerged relatively unscathed, thanks to the swift intervention of his wife, Winy Yeap.
Sekhar recounted the frightening incident on Facebook, describing how the attackers rushed at him, smothered him, and even tore a watch from his wrist. “They rushed at me, smothered me, hit me a few times on the chest and thighs, and tore the watch off my wrist. I tried to hold on but couldn’t my post transplant medication and health simply didn’t allow it,” he wrote, noting that he had undergone a heart transplant in India last year.
His wife immediately jumped in, confronting the attackers with fearless determination. “Like the lioness she’s always been, my wife swung her bag, shouted at them, and the muggers fled on electric Lime bikes,” Sekhar said. The London Metropolitan Police later informed him that he had narrowly avoided being stabbed.
Reflecting on the incident, Sekhar compared London’s safety to that of his home city, Kuala Lumpur. “For all our noise, our chaos, and our politics, Kuala Lumpur remains one of the safest, warmest, most vibrant cities in the world,” he stated.
Sekhar also shared safety advice for travelers: avoid flashy accessories, and if confronted during a mugging, prioritize personal safety over valuables. “A watch, a wallet, a phone these are replaceable. Your life, your loved ones, your friends are not,” he cautioned.