THE fate of an abandoned £15million mansion perched on a 400ft skyscraper hangs in balance after the tycoon owner fled to the UK.
For the first time, details about the astonishing replica of the White House have been unveiled, though it remains uncertain if anyone will actually reside in this expansive dwelling.
Businessman Vijay Mallya, 69, who lives in the UK, commissioned the Sky Mansion on the 34th and 35th Kingfisher Towers in Bengaluru, India in 2010.
But the tycoon could never live in his dream home after he fled the country in 2016 after defrauding at least 17 banks of nearly £1billion.
Insiders with knowledge of the situation indicate that the mansion’s future is still in doubt. This is because lenders and agencies continue their efforts to recover funds from Mallya in connection to the fraud investigation.
Sprawled over an unbelievable 40,000sqft on two levels, the wacky mansion sticks out like a sore thumb on the gargantuan tower.
Should a very affluent individual ever become its owner, the mansion boasts features such as a helipad, an infinity pool, and an open deck that provides a 360-degree panoramic view of the city.
And despite the penthouse being part of the skyscraper, it’s a private villa with two of its own elevators.
The Kingfisher Towers were built on 4.5 acres of land where the father-in-law of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Narayan Murthy, reportedly bought a flat last year.
The mansion was one of the first residential penthouses in the country built at such a height.
Chairman of Prestige Group Irfan Razack previously said constructing the gargantuan mansion was a challenge as it was mounted on cantilever – a structure only supported at one end.
He said to local media: “It’s a complex structure. It was a challenge to construct the mansion on a huge cantilever at that height.”
It’s unknown when the build was completed – but the exterior of the mansion appears to be fully finished.
But it’s not clear if the White House replica is finished on the inside.
Interior firm Morph Design and Co, an arm of Prestige Group hired to work on the interiors of the mansion, revealed to The Sun that the “interiors of the mansion were not done”.
While the house is reportedly taken care of by the developers and regularly cleaned, the penthouse lies unoccupied due to legal tangles.
Prestige Constructions didn’t respond to a request from The Sun on its fate.
Before the penthouse was finished, Mallya fled the country after facing legal action over money laundering and alleged fraud charges.
He had taken a loan from a syndicate of banks for the operations of his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines – but he failed to make the payment.
The tycoon later declared himself bankrupt in the UK.
Indian banks have since been seeking to recover the outstanding loan amount through various legal mean – including the sale of his assets.
Several of his properties have been seized by the Enforcement Directorate, otherwise known as the financial crimes police.
And the mansion is likely part of the recovery procedure.
SS Naganand, the counsel who appeared for one of the banks, told The Sun: “The tower was part of the entire recovery proceeding and all the assets belonging to him are part of the process, certainly that mansion.
“The building was constructed long before the litigation started.
“Prestige Group put up the structure and kept a portion of it, the rest of which came to [his] company and Mallya had built something for him on the top and belonged to him personally.
“From my understanding there were proceedings relating to that both in Indian courts and the UK courts.”
Mallya’s former lawyer EC Agrawala said that the fate of the property can only be decided by the Indian government.
He said: “The mansion was under construction.
“The last three to four years, I have not followed it. It was seized by the Enforcement Directorate but not fully confiscated.
“It is still lying unoccupied and unsold as the government is yet to decide its fate.”
Who is Vijay Mallya?
By Annabel Bate, Foreign News Reporter
VIJAY Mallya, 69, is a former businessman and politician who is the subject of an extradition effort by the Indian Government to return him from the UK.
Officials want him to face charges of financial crimes in India.
Mallya was the founder and former owner of defunct Kingfisher Airlines, as well as former co-owner of the Force India Formula One team – but it went into administration.
The tycoon fled India in 2016 after defrauding at least 17 banks of nearly £1billion.
Mallya he also faced legal action over money laundering alongside alleged fraud charges.
He had taken a loan from a syndicate of banks for the operations of his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines – but he failed to make the payment.
The tycoon later declared himself bankrupt in the UK.
Indian banks have since been seeking to recover the outstanding loan amount through various legal mean – including the sale of his assets.
Several of his properties have been seized by the Enforcement Directorate, otherwise known as the financial crimes police.
