![the firelords of sethia watch the firelords of sethia watch](https://newprojects.99acres.com/projects/sethia_infrastructure/sethia_grandeur/0kftbp2g.jpg)
My first order, the principal gave me the cash and thereafter I kept getting breaks in Nigeria. I used the LC for $150,000 to bring a shipment of beer into Nigeria. "I managed to meet a Nigerian who was impressed with my sheer audacity and he bankrolled me for $150,000. But I was broke and realised that if I could get a letter of credit, I could have a blast selling beer because of the climate". Circumstances were such those days that oil had been struck in Nigeria and the world was gathering there looking for a punt. I have always believed that you need 90 per cent luck and 10 per cent good luck. That didn't deter me and I went to what I thought was the next boom town - Nigeria with 140 quid in my pocket that same year. By 1975, I had made and lost my first fortune fulfilling my brothers' prophecies that I was reckless. "I made piles of money in sugar and other commodities. My credo in life has always been I will always do what I think is right, after all as a Marwari, we are constructive, industrious, risk takers and at one level even speculators. My two elder brothers Ranjit and Nirmal asked me to separate saying that I was too much of a risk taker and they were unwilling to trust me.
![the firelords of sethia watch the firelords of sethia watch](https://cdnspimgsulekhalive.azureedge.net/cdn/images/property/project/detail/sethia-imperial-avenue-projectimagelogo_20180409083559884590.jpg)
"I started my own business in 1974, I was the youngest of four brothers, but I separated from the family business very early. My karma is such that I will do this too." BUSINESS My quest for a British visa is paramount for I want to go there and clear my name. Man on a mission, Raj Sethia told IANS: "I have had four heart attacks, served jail time in Tihar, lost everything I had, have five stents in place, the Nigerian police, CBI, Crime Branch following me for allegedly aiding and abetting Sobhraj escape, Scotland Yard tailing me pretty much all my early life, and yet, I have survived. He can't visit him in London because the British government refuses to give him a visa, despite his recent acquittal. But Raj Sethia has separated formally from his brother and only recently has started visiting him in Dubai. His brother Nirmal Sethia owns the posh brand Newby Tea in London, an astute and aggressive businessman who has done very well for himself - Vladimir Putin drinks his tea. His father SL Sethia started the jute business in 1944 while the tea business came through an acquisition much later when Raj bought the premium Calcutta headquartered but Assam gardens FERA company Jokai Tea. His father and grandfather were London-based businessmen since 1920s dabbling in both jute and tea.
![the firelords of sethia watch the firelords of sethia watch](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/31/6d/52/316d5214a2e0eec8122a21cb2ad014c7.png)
A victim of the Indian criminal justice system where the wheels move ever so slowly, dealt a bad hand, a trumped up charge which he fought gamely and valiantly for three decades and more to finally emerge triumphant waving a clean chit. A family which externed him, two wives who walked out on him, a third, Sonia, who died tragically in a car crash in Delhi in February 2012 and two children from the first wife who have been by his side helping him rebuild his life tentpole by tentpole. In the life and times of Raj Sethia, there have been innumerable twists and turns, but he accepts every curve ball thrown at him. Framed for his escape, he went back to jail just a week before his release in the Punjab National Bank case. He has served jail time in Tihar where he earned the sobriquet of Sethia Saheb or Boss, having spent time along with the Serpent Charles Sobhraj aka 'bikini killer' in Tihar.
![the firelords of sethia watch the firelords of sethia watch](https://www.coursehero.com/thumb/62/bd/62bd4bc3c0a15abd105001d15f5a10f0bc076c45_180.jpg)
The 72-year-old fought incessantly for 34 years till he was acquitted just last month. This dogged karmic outlook keeps him afloat, sane and engaged with the world. New Delhi: From London-based billionaire to the world's biggest bankrupt to derisively being described as Delhi's bootlegger, Rajendra Singh Sethia has seen a gamut of emotions, a roller-coaster life with a strong underpinning of karmic payback.