Hinting at Mallya, Modi Seeks UK’s Help to Get Economic Offenders

Both leaders also talked about the complete range of India-UK ties.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@MEAIndia)

As India works to ensure return of fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 July pressed upon his British counterpart Theresa May to ensure UK's cooperation to bring back economic offenders.

Mallya has been in the UK for months, escaping arrest warrants against him, while a court in London is also hearing a case regarding his return to India.

Modi met May during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg and sought UK's help in this regard.

Both leaders also talked about the complete range of India-UK ties.

Mallya, who is wanted in India for Kingfisher Airlines' default on loans worth nearly Rs 9,000 crore, has been in the UK since March 2016.

In April, he had been taken to a central London police station for arrest, but was released on conditional bail a few hours later. He reportedly provided a bail bond worth 650,000 pounds, assuring the court that he will abide by all conditions associated with extradition proceedings, such as the surrender of his passport and a ban on him possessing any travel documents.

India and the UK have an Extradition Treaty, signed in 1992, but so far only one extradition has taken place under the arrangement – Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, who was sent back to India last October to face trial in connection with his involvement in the post-Godhra riots of 2002.

(With PTI inputs.)