Devendra "Dev" Alahan is a leading businessman in Coronation Street owning Prima Doner, For Your Fries Only and the corner shop and managing the latter since 1999. A widower since 2013, Dev raised twins Aadi and Asha as a single father.
Dev moved to Weatherfield from Birmingham when he bought his uncle Ravi Desai's seven shops, including the one in Coronation Street. His empire-building peaked in the 2000s with a 50% share in Street Cars from 2003 to 2005 and the acquisition of Prima Doner kebab shop in 2009.
One of the street's most eligible bachelors, Dev had his pick of the women but often took his girlfriends for granted. In 2002, Geena Gregory called off their engagement after finding out about his one-night stand with Deirdre Rachid. He later dumped Maya Sharma when he realised that his friend Sunita Parekh was his one true love. On their wedding day in 2004, Dev and Sunita were arrested on charges of bigamy and illegal immigration, having been set up by Maya. After the charges were dropped, Maya enacted her final revenge by tying the Alahans up in the corner shop flat and blowing up all of Dev's shops, leaving them to die. With the help of the neighbours, Dev and Sunita were rescued and managed to bounce back from their ordeal.
In 2005, a pregnant Sunita discovered that Dev had fathered children with employees at his various shops. The children included teenager Amber Kalirai, who lived with Dev for a while after her mother Ravinder moved to Finland. The revelations caused Sunita to divorce Dev and limit his contact with their newborn twins Aadi and Asha. The Alahans reconciled in 2010 but they were not as close the second time around and Sunita had an affair with Karl Munro in 2012. This coincided with a period of financial trouble with Dev selling all of his shops except the corner shop and Prima Doner. In 2013, Sunita was murdered by Karl, who Dev subsequently helped bring to justice.
Since then, Dev's girlfriends have included Julie Carp, Erica Holroyd, Gina Seddon and his now-fiancée Bernie Winter. As the twins have grown older, he has struggled to balance his need to protect them and to let them live their own lives. He nominally resides at 7 Coronation Street, but has gone to India to help look after his Auntie Gita temporarily.
Biography
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Early years
Dev as Adam Ant at the jubilee street party
Dev first appeared in Weatherfield in November 1999. He was the owner of a chain of seven shops in the Manchester area and bought the Corner Shop on the Street from his uncle Ravi Desai after he returned to India.
Amy Goskirke, a former girlfriend, followed Dev to Weatherfield, claiming he had promised to marry her. He denied this, claiming she was a mad woman, so she claimed she was expecting his child and pretended to attempt suicide. Upon returning to the Rovers Return Inn with bandaged wrists, Dev exposed her lies by ripping off the bandages, revealing no cuts.
Some time later, Dev almost married barmaid Geena Gregory, but her mother was unhappy about this situation. She paid Karen McDonald to set him up and they were caught together in the flat. Although she forgave him on that occasion, Geena and Dev later split and she got together with Joe Carter.
Romance with Sunita
Dev saved shop worker Sunita Parekh from an arranged marriage in India and gave her a safe haven in the flat above the shop. Sunita developed feelings for Dev but he just saw her as a friend, though they later became involved.
His other girlfriends included Debs Brownlow and Tracy Barlow, who wrecked his flat after discovering he had no intention of marrying her. He also slept with Deirdre Barlow, who he employed at the shop.
Dev later met solicitor Maya Sharma, when on the rebound from Sunita, who chose barman Ciaran McCarthy over him. He set up home with Maya, but when Sunita became seriously ill, Maya got jealous of the amount of time he spent with Sunita and forced Dev to choose between them. Dev chose Sunita, enraging Maya, and she smashed up the flat and set Sunita up with an illegal immigration scam, and she was arrested at her wedding to Dev. Sunita was jailed but released when a taxi driver came forward with information that implicated Maya.
Maya was released on bail, and with murder in mind she tied up Sunita and one by one set fire to each of Dev's shops. When Dev arrived, she knocked him unconscious, and left them to die in the fire, but Ciaran and Charlie Stubbs saved them.
Twins
Sunita gave birth to twins Aadi and Asha in 2006. After her death in 2013, they received much care from Mary Taylor.
Sunita's death
Sunita died as the result of the pub fire started by Karl Munro after he pushed her down the stairs when she was trying to stop him. Dev grieved for a long time and declined to go to the police with the strong hints he had about Karl's guilt. Later, he formed relationships with Mary Taylor and other women; notably Erica Holroyd.
Personality
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Relationships
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Hobbies and interests
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Background information
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First and last lines
"Nita... long time no see, how's things? Uncle Ravi?" (First line)
Appendices
(To be completed)
List of addresses
| Address | Duration |
|---|---|
| 15a Coronation Street | 28th February 2000 to 17th December 2000 |
| No. 6 Montreal House, Weatherfield Quays | 17th December 2000 to 18th November 2005 |
| 7 Meadow View, Bramhall | 18th November 2005 to 22nd May 2006 |
| 15a Coronation Street | 22nd May 2006 to 25th August 2008 |
| 9 Victoria Court | 25th August 2008 to 31st May 2010 |
| 7 Coronation Street | 31st May 2010 to 23rd July 2012 |
| 15a Coronation Street | 23rd July 2012 to 15th March 2013 |
| 7 Coronation Street | 15th March 2013 to present |
Employment history
| Role | Institution | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Owner/manager | Corner Shop | December 1999 to present |