London: Vijay Mallya, facing extradition proceedings in UK, was spotted at the Kennington Oval in London on Sunday watching India’s World Cup clash against Australia. “I am here to watch the game,” Mallya was quoted as saying by ANI in a video as he walked into the stadium with his ticket.
Mallya’s son, Siddharth, posted a photo on his Instagram page where he is seen with his father with the stadium in the background.
Mallya, 63, left India on March 2, 2016 after defaulting on loans amounting to Rs 9,000 crore. He has repeatedly denied fleeing the country, saying he is ready to pay back the money he owed to the Indian banks.
After watching India vs Australia match along with his mother, the crowd surrounded the liquor baron and chanted ‘Vijay Mallya chor hai’. ‘Chor, chor [thief, thief]’ was among the chants that could be heard from the crowds.
Check video:
When he was asked how he would respond to the ‘Vijay Mallya chor hai’ and ‘chor chor’ chants by the crowd, he said, “I am just making sure my mother does not get hurt.”
India had in 2017 filed for Mallya’s extradition, which he contested. He is out on bail.
A consortium of 13 banks, led by the State Bank of India (SBI), has initiated loan recovery proceedings against him. The proceedings are on before a special court in Mumbai under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also moved the Special Prevention of Money-Laundering Act Court last year to get Mallya declared a “fugitive economic offender” and confiscate his properties, estimated at more than Rs 12,000 crore, making it the first such case of its kind under the new law.
–IANS
Mallya spotted at India-Australia World Cup match