Vijay Mallya at The Oval: Booed with "chor, chor" chants
Loan defaulter and former business tycoon Vijay Mallya was booed by Indian fans at The Oval during the India-South Africa Champions Trophy match. While some chanted "chor, chor" (thief) and "chor gaya, chor" (there goes the thief), others laughed and took pictures and videos. The 61-year-old, living in self-imposed exile in the UK since 2016, faces extradition proceedings in courts.
Vijay Mallya, the chief of now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, has unpaid debts of over Rs. 9,000 crore to several Indian banks. He left India in March 2016. The Government of India has been trying for his extradition.
On 4 June, Vijay Mallya caused a stir with his attendance at the India versus Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy match at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham. After the match, he had tweeted: "Wide sensational media coverage on my attendance at the IND v PAK match at Edgbaston. I intend to attend all games to cheer the India team."
Recently, Vijay Mallya also attended a charity dinner by Virat Kohli's Foundation in London to raise funds for anti-human trafficking charity Justice and Care. Kohli, who plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL team, which was once owned by Mallya, reportedly maintained a distance from the fugitive businessman. The Indian cricket team also avoided interacting with him and left early.
An official of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) claimed, "Virat or his foundation never invited Mallya at the function." It was learned he was invited as a guest by someone who bought a table for the charity event.
Mallya was arrested in Apr'17 by Scotland Yard on fraud allegations that triggered an official extradition process in the UK courts. He was released on a conditional bail after providing a £650,000-worth bail bond. He assured the court of abiding by all conditions associated with the extradition proceedings like surrendering his passport and a ban on him possessing any travel documents.
