Indian family buys Swiss villa for Rs 1,690 crore

Indian-origin businessman Pankaj Oswal and his wife Radhika Oswal have bought one of the world’s most expensive homes in Switzerland for $200 million (Rs1,690 crore), according to a report in The Times of India.

The 4.3 lakh square-foot villa was once owned by Christina Onassis, the daughter of Greek shipping mogul Aristotle Onassis, and is nestled in the scenic Swiss village of Gingins overlooking the snow-capped Alps.

The Times of India, the Oswals paid $200 million for the luxury mansion, which among the world’s top ten most expensive homes. Pankaj Oswal’s Oswal Group Global has holdings in petrochemicals, real estate, fertilisers and mining.

The Oswal family relocated from Australia to Switzerland in 2013. Villa Vari is named after Pankaj and Radhika Oswal’s two daughters, Vasundhara Oswal, 24, who is the Executive Director of PRO Industries PTE LTD and the Director General of Axis Minerals, and Ridi Oswal, 19, who is a chemical engineering student in London.

In a recent Instagram post, Ridi Oswal said, “Being Indian and living abroad you always miss the smallest things about your culture… It was my family’s dream to create a little India away from India and I’m glad to see they have succeeded in doing so.”

Renowned interior designer Jeffrey Wilkes, known for his work on projects such as Oberoi Rajvilas, Oberoi Udaivilas, and the Leela Hotels, has transformed the villa in accordance with the taste and style of the Oswals, the media report said. Elements of the design from Jaipur’s Amber Palace have also reportedly been incorporated in the interiors.