NRI, Pragnesh Desai
ordered to pay $4M to Mother of fashion model's death
New Jersey, May 14, 2005
NRI press
New Jersey court, Judge Isabel B. Stark awarded $4
million to Madeleine Swiderski mother of Leona Swiderski,
who was murdered two years ago during a trip to Mumbai
with her fiance. No one present arguments on behalf
of the defendant, Pragnesh Desai, the dead woman's
fiance. Her attorney, Rosemarie Arnold, said she will
attempt to gain access to Desai's assets to satisfy
the judgment. owned 7-Eleven conveniences store in
Cliffside Park and Wood-Ridge and had a stake in the
Bukhara Grill, a restaurant with two locations in
Manhattan
"There is no money in world that would bring
my daughter back to me," a tearful Swiderski
told The Record of Bergen County for Saturday newspapers
after the judge's ruling. The judgement consists of
$1 million for pain and suffering and $3 million for
economic losses, including an estimate of the amount
of money Leona would have made throughout her life.
Desai and Leona Swiderski, 33, an aspiring fashion
model, were just weeks away from being married when
they flew to Mumbai, India, Feb. 8, 2003. Swiderski
disappeared not long after the planed landed. Her
body turned up near a highway.
In Feb 23, 2003m Police recovered the money that
Desai paid in two installments to his childhood friend
Vipul Patel, 33. Patel, a resident of Vadodara town
in neighboring Gujarat state, hired two men - Altaf
Patel and Farooq Patel - who allegedly picked up Swinderski
from the airport and killed her. He was charged with
hiring a childhood friend to kill Leona to collect
$1 million in life insurance.
The pair was acquitted at a trial in India, authorities
there are appealing.
Feb. 17, 2003
Indian-American
man held after murder of U.S. model
HARISH DESAI
Associated Press
AHMADABAD, India - An Indian-American man
was arrested Monday on suspicion of killing of a U.S-based
fashion model, whose body was found by a highway earlier
this month, police said.
he woman, identified as New Jersey resident Leona
Swinderski, was found dead Feb. 8 on the highway that
connects Bombay to Ahmadabad, the largest city in
neighboring Gujarat state, said Ramrao Pawar, superintendent
of police in Bombay's Thane suburb.
Within hours, Pragnesh Desai, another New Jersey
resident who was traveling with her, filed a missing
person's report, he said. Desai, who moved to the
United States 19 years ago, owns two restaurants in
New Jersey and co-owns two stores, police said.
Desai claimed Swinderski disappeared when she went
to the washroom after they arrived at Bombay's Sahar
International Airport.
"He (Desai) said that he went to hire a prepaid
taxi ... but could not find her later," Pawar
said. "The missing person's report was registered
by him on the same day. When he was shown the body,
he identified it, too."
Police said the woman, a jobless New Jersey native,
came in by Air-India flight number 144 early morning
along with her fiance Pragnesh Desai (38). The couple
had four pieces of luggage: three suitcases (with
Desai) and a lady’s handbag (with Svedisky).
According to Sahar police, Svedisky was ill and vomiting
and so went to the toilet at the airport a couple
of times. Desai, meanwhile, was busy looking for a
taxi at the pre-paid cab counter. When Svedisky did
not return for over half-an-hour, Desai scoured the
airport and filed a missing complaint with Sahar police.
Sub-inspector Chandrakant Katkar, who is heading
Sahar police’s investigations under supervision
of senior inspector Mohan Mane, said, “We called
up all hospitals around the airport and asked all
airport employees if they knew of anyone who had taken
an ailing foreigner to a nearby hospital.” However,
no information was obtained, Sahar police said.
Desai collapsed after he identified the body and
was admitted to Thane Civil Hospital. From there,
he was moved to the plush Bhaktivedanta Hospital at
the Srushti Society, Mira Road (E) in the afternoon
of February 10. Doctors there diagnosed Desai’s
condition as “severe denial reaction coupled
with hypertension and depression
Police initially believed the death was caused by
an accident, but an autopsy report showed Swinderski
had been strangled. Desai was kept under watch, and
one of his friends told police that the businessman
and a friend, Vipul Patel, had planned the murder.
Desai and Patel were arrested and remanded to police
custody until Feb. 24, police said.
According to Pawar, the accused hired two men - Altaf
Patel and Farooq Patel - who allegedly picked up Swinderski
from the airport and made her unconscious by smelling
chloroform before strangling her.
Swinderski's body has been sent to the United States,
and Indian police were seeking more information on
the case from Interpol, Pawar said.
Pragnesh Desai, like any other youngster out to earn
money abroad, went to the US about 19 years ago when
he was 19 years old. After doing some jobs there and
saving money, he got into restaurant business and
eventually had two restaurants of his. These restaurants
called the ‘Bukhara Grill’ did well and
business began to grow. Desai later had partnerships
in two big stores in the US. “While we do not
have an estimate of his wealth, he sure was rich,”
said Thane rural superintendent of police Ramrao Pawar.
During the course of his stay in the US, Desai also
called over his mother, sister and brother-in-law.
However, the pleasant run with life in US got into
trouble after he had an affair with model Leona Swinderski.
Desai's marriage ran into rough weather and he had
to part ways with his wife and two daughters after
a divorce. Desai was contemplating marrying Leona
soon. However, Pawar said, he seemed to have changed
his views regarding Leona after he heard that she
was planning to harm his family. “Desai claims
Leona wanted to do so as she was very possessive about
him,” he pointed out. He cooked up a story, saying
that an uncle had left USD 30 million for him and
persuaded Swiderski to come to India with him to be
one of the beneficiaries
The police, on the other hand, have little information
about Leona except the fact that she was a 33-year-old
model and had a mother with whom she did not stay
NRI murdered
model for $1 million
VADODARA/ NEW YORK, FEB 21, 2003
CIESTIMES NEWS NETWORK & AGEN
The Indian American businessman accused of murdering
his fiancée in Mumbai had taken two insurance
policies, totalling $1 million in her name, nominating
him as the sole beneficiary, her lawyer has said.
Pragnesh Desai, the accused who hails from Vadodara
and is now based in New Jersey , had stiff alimony
payments and was in debt, 'The New York Post' has
reported. The case of Desai, a partner in two restaurants,
is being widely reported by New York newspapers
and tabloids as one of his restaurants in mid-town
Manhattan was very popular.
Amato Galasso, the lawyer appearing on behalf of
the relatives of Leona Swiderski, argued Desai was
paying for the insurance.
Desai had reportedly told investigators in India
that he hired two hit men to strangle Leona, 33,
a beautician and aspiring model, because she was
plotting to kill his exwife and children. However,
a police official said, "We fail to understand
why would a woman try to kill her fiancé's
ex-wife?"
Leona's body was found on a highway outside Mumbai
on February 8 shortly after she arrived in India
with Desai. When told about the insurance, a police
superintendent said, "That may be reason,"
the daily reported. Leona's distraught mother, Madeline,
said, "That makes it clear. It fits into motive.
Everything was about money with him."
Police said Desai paid childhood friend Vipul Patel
Rs 10 lakh to hire the hit men, who grabbed Leona
at the Mumbai airport, drugged her with chloroform,
strangled her and dumped the body on the highway.
The Thane district police has now hit across incriminating
evidence pointing at the monetary dealing between
Desai and Patel. Officers investigating the case
said that the cash recovered from Patel's house
amounted to over Rs 10 lakh. This was allegedly
paid to him by Desai to eliminate Leona.
Thane district superintendent of police Ramrao
Pawar said that the money seized from Patel's house
includes Rs 9.5 lakh in Indian currency as well
as $2,100.
"This was the advance Desai had paid to Patel
for the killing. The rest of the money was to be
sent to him through 'hawala' from US after Desai
reached there. However, this never happened as both
Desai and Patel landed in our net," Pawar said
