HUSBAND'S PREVIOUS FIANCEE WAS DAUGHTER OF INDIAN AIRLINE TYCOON
By ABUL TAHERShrien Dewani was previously engaged to the daughter of a tycoon who founded the Indian budget airline SpiceJet.
In February 2009 Mr Dewani suddenly cancelled plans for the wedding, despite protests from his fiancee, Rani Kansagra, and her family.
It was around this time that he began dating Anni after meeting her through a relative in London. They married in a lavish ceremony in Mumbai a few weeks ago.
Miss Kansagra, 26, lives with her family in Northwood, Middlesex. Her father is multi-millionaire businessman Bhupendra Kansagra – who met Barack Obama when the US President visited India last month.
Last night Mr Kansagra refused to comment on the engagement between his daughter and Mr Dewani. He said: ‘I don’t want to get involved in this, I am not interested.’
Miss Kansagra also refused to comment but a friend of the family said: ‘Shrien suddenly broke off the whole thing and she begged him not to. Her dad also intervened, but it was of no use.
‘Now they think it was good, as her family did not like him much. He was a bit too showy and bit too full of himself. They are still angry at him for breaking off the engagement, but they are also relieved.’
The friend added: ‘Shrien was money-orientated, that’s for sure.’
Bhupendra Kansagra was one of the founding chief executives of SpiceJet, India’s second-biggest budget airline, with a fleet of 22 aircraft and 66 more on order.
When the airline was established in 2005, Mr Kansagra and his brother Suresh had a 13 per cent share in the company, which they sold in 2008. It is believed SpiceJet has a current market value of £160 million.
Mr Kansagra is now involved in the agriculture, oil and gas industries, and his companies operate in Britain, India and five Africa countries, including Kenya, which he left to move to Britain.
Last night Mr Dewani’s lawyer, Charlotte Harris, said: ‘Rani and Shrien met in August 2008.
They got engaged in December 2008.
They mutually decided not to get married in February 2009. Having spoken to the family, the relationship with his ex-fiancee did not end acrimoniously.’
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