Vijay Mallya, who left India on March 2, 2016, has repeatedly denied fleeing the country
Businessman Vijay Mallya was subjected to cries of "chor hai (you are a thief)" as he left The Oval stadium in London yesterday, where he was watching a cricket World Cup match between India and Australia. The former Kingfisher Airlines boss is facing extradition to India where he is wanted on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to Rs 9,000 crore.
"I am making sure my mother doesn't get hurt," Mr Mallya was quoted by news agency ANI when asked to respond to the cries.
In the video, Mr Mallya is seen surrounded a small crowd of people pushing and shoving as the cries of "chor hai (you are a thief)" grow louder. At one point, a shout of "Be a man, apologise to your country" is heard, to which Mr Mallya's response is inaudible.
"I am here to watch the game," he told ANI later and also said that "preparations are underway for the next hearing scheduled in July".
Mr Mallya also posted a photo of himself and his son, Siddharth Mallya, from inside the stadium with the caption: "Great to watch cricket with my son and even sweeter to see India's emphatic victory over Australia. Congratulations to @imVkohli and his team".
This is not the first time Mr Mallya has been heckled at a cricket match.
In January 2017 he faced similar cries - those of "chor, chor (thief, thief)" - when he came to the same stadium to watch a Champions Trophy cricket match between India and South Africa.
Mr Mallya's extradition was ordered by the Westminster Magistrates' Court in December last year, after which the UK Home Secretary signed the order. The businessman then filed an application for permission to appeal the order, which was refused.
A "renewal application" was filed in April. The renewal involves a short oral hearing before a High Court judge, now scheduled for July 2, where his lawyers will further plead his case against being extradited to India.
Vijay Mallya, who left India on March 2, 2016, has repeatedly denied fleeing the country and said he is ready to pay back the money he owes to the Indian banks.
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 Vijay 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.
With inputs from ANI