A late evening in London turned chaotic for Malaysian tycoon Vinod Sekhar, chairman of the Petra Group, when two unidentified men attacked him outside his daughter&rsquo;s apartment near Battersea Power Station.
Sekhar, who had just returned with his family after a day trip to Oxford, said the assailants rushed at him as soon as he stepped out of his car. &ldquo;They smothered me, hit me on the chest and thighs, and tore the watch off my wrist. I tried to hold on but couldn&rsquo;t my post-transplant health simply didn&rsquo;t allow it,&rdquo; said Sekhar, who underwent a heart transplant in India last year.
But the moment took a dramatic turn when his wife, Winy Yeap, leapt into action. &ldquo;Like the lioness she&rsquo;s always been, my wife jumped in swinging her bag, shouting at them, fearless and protective,&rdquo; he wrote. Startled, the attackers fled on electric bikes, leaving Sekhar bruised but safe.
When London police arrived minutes later, one officer told him he was &ldquo;a lucky man&rdquo; warning that the attackers could have stabbed him had he resisted further.
In a heartfelt note, Sekhar compared the incident to life back home, saying he felt far safer in Kuala Lumpur. &ldquo;For all our chaos and politics, Malaysia remains one of the safest and warmest cities in the world,&rdquo; he said, urging travellers to avoid wearing flashy items and to let go of valuables in case of an attack.

Vinod Sekhar mugged in London; wife Winy Yeap bravely fights off attackers

Petra Group Chairman attacked in London

Vinod Sekhar mugged in London; wife Winy Yeap bravely fights off attackers

October 13, 2025 | 14:39 IST