Jayesh Parekh

Jayesh Parekh was the brother of Sunita Parekh and followed her to Coronation Street in March 2001 when she fled her family and their attempt to force her into an arranged marriage in India. Sunita worked for Dev Alahan in his shop in Swinton and turned to her employer in her hour of need. Dev housed her in the Corner Shop flat and denied knowing her whereabouts when visited by her parents Soresh and Mena. Jayesh though was less trusting of Dev's innocence and parked himself outside the shop, seeing the curtains in the windows of the flat twitching. He confronted Dev who told him that the flat was used for stock and an employee was up there working. When Jayesh hammered on the door to the flat, it was Deirdre Rachid who answered the door and she joined in the deception, however the fugitive's brother was unconvinced by the stories he was being given and left Sunita's photo in the Rovers asking to be contacted should anyone see her.

A couple of days later, Jeyesh returned with a friend and they pushed their way into the flat, trying to physically force Sunita to return with them. Dev threatened the police and brother and sister sat down calmly to talk. Jayesh himself had entered into an unarranged marriage which had failed and Sunita took this as evidence that this was why he was on the side of their parents' plans. Jayesh warned her that his parents would turn their back on her and he would have no choice but to support them. Sunita ended up having no contact with her family for over three years.

By September 2004, Dev and Sunita's friendship had developed into love and the two were engaged. The thought of her upcoming wedding prompted Sunita to ring her mother but the phone was put down on her. It did prompt Jayesh to visit the Street though and the ice between brother and sister was quickly broken. He revealed that he had married for a second time - arranged this time as per cultural tradition - to Rhea Gujarati and the year before they had had a daughter. However he warned a tearful Sunita that her name was a forbidden word at home and that she was dead to her parents. Nevertheless, he tried to intercede on her behalf with her father and he agreed to meet his daughter in a local park but failed to turn up on that occasion. A month later, Jayesh returned and Sunita met her niece Jaya for the first time but she was upset when Jayesh made it clear that he wouldn't be attending the wedding and that the family did not approve of Dev. Dev walked in on the middle of their argument and he managed (with the help of a few glasses of whiskey) into talking Jayesh into being there for his sister at the wedding.

He did turn up as promised and brought with him an extra surprise - Sunita's parents. Mena's initially frosty countenance disappeared and she and her husband joined in with the Hundu rituals but there was a self-declared spectre at the feast: Maya Sharma, Dev's previous fiancée, intent of revenge for being dropped by him, had carried out an elaborate plan of impersonating Sunita and taking part in six sham marriages to illegal immigrants in her name, followed by a tip-off to the police. They arrested the happy couple and although Dev was released after questioning, Sunita was refused bail and imprisoned on remand pending trial. Jayesh and Mena visited Sunita in jail and from their attitude, made it clear that they suspected Dev of being guilty and not Maya who they had met and found "charming".


 * Jayesh was played by Pal Aron in his first two appearances in 2001 and by Ace Bhatti in all subsequence appearances.

List of appearances

 * Episode 5011 (30th March 2001)
 * Episode 5012 (1st April 2001)
 * Episode 5841 (8th September 2004)
 * Episode 5842 (10th September 2004)
 * Episode 5864 (10th October 2004)
 * Episode 5865 (11th October 2004)
 * Episode 5871 (18th October 2004)
 * Episode 5874 (24th October 2004)
 * Episode 5875 (25th October 2004)
 * Episode 5876 (25th October 2004)
 * Episode 5877 (27th October 2004)
 * Episode 6168 (23rd November 2005)
 * Episode 6169 (23rd November 2005)
 * Episode 6208 (16th January 2006)
 * Episode 6218 (30th January 2006)
 * Episode 6219 (1st February 2006)