Indian liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who fled the country in March 2016 was seen on Sunday at the India vs Pakistan match at Birmingham’s Edgbaston Cricket Ground. No sooner did the media spot Mallya at the Champions Trophy match than social media went into a tizzy, with the absconding businessman’s photographs being shared widely.
The flamboyant owner of the now-inoperative Kingfisher Airlines was spotted in a white coat and pictures of Mallya in the company of former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar were shared by Republic TV. Moreover, Mallya was also seen wearing a stadium pass as well as pitch pass in the pictures shared by the TV channel.
Many social media users took to Twitter to share their views on this sighting:
Ever since Mallya escaped to the United Kingdom last year, the CBI has been hot on his heels, as the defaulter owes Indian banks over Rs 6,963 crores. Mallya is wanted by the Indian government in embezzlement, foreign exchange transgression and debt recovery cases. The 61-year-old Mallya was formally tagged as an absconder by a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in November 2016.
Upon the Indian government’s request, Mallya was temporarily arrested by Scotland Yard on 18 April this year, on an extradition warrant. Soon after, the businessman was released on bail by a London court. In November 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally requested his British counterpart Theresa May to help India nab Mallya, with an aim to bring him back to the country.
(With inputs from India Today, Republic TV.)
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