When Vikram Desai picked up jockey Mickey Edwards on several taxi runs in September 2002 and was given several racing tips, it began a descent into a gambling addiction. By November 2002, he had run up debts of several thousand pounds and Peter Barlow, for one, banned him from his bookies (partially due to Vik attempting to blackmail Peter over his affair with Lucy Richards) and sold off the debt owing to him to a collection company who, as Peter gloated to Vik, would not be quite so patient in waiting for their money to be paid back to them.
Within a day or so, Vik received the first visit from his new creditors when Damian Rodd called into the Street Cars office. In truth, a gangster, Damian presented Vik with a bill for £8,000 (the sum of all his debts to bookmakers in the area plus “interest”) and, grabbing him by the throat, demanded £300 a week... or else.
Vik’s response was to steal £3,000 from the Street Cars account and skip on a supposed holiday to Barbados with girlfriend Maria Sutherland but this was a cover to return with a drugs haul - hidden in Maria's suitcase - to pay off his debts. He handed over the packages to Damian, expecting the slate to be clean, but was told that it only accounted for half and he had arranged for Vik to collect another haul from Tenerife. Vik borrowed money from cousin Dev Alahan to pay Steve McDonald back the money he stole from the taxi firm and persuaded him and Karen to join him on a “holiday” in Tenerife to make up for his transgressions, but in reality this was a cover for the run with Damian arranging the flight tickets.
This time the run did not go to plan. Karen’s luggage was damaged on the return journey and Vik had to stop her complaining at the airport, confessing that he’d secreted £10,000 worth of drugs in the case. A livid Steve drove to the canal and threw the package of drugs in the water.
Vik told Dev that he needed to get out of the country fast and he was convinced of the story when he saw Damian and another thug outside the Street Cars office, waiting to collect. Steve told Dev of the drugs haul and a furious Dev bought Vik a one-way ticket to Mumbai to go and live with his father. Vik left Weatherfield for good. Damian didn’t consider his debt written off and threatened Steve into giving him Vik’s BMW to settle the score once and for all.
List of appearances[]
2002