Fugitive Indian businessman Vijay Mallya, who is currently living in London, has said in a podcast that he can be called a fugitive but he is not a thief and hasn’t committed any theft.
In an interview with Raj Shamani, Mallya said, “Call me a fugitive for not going to India post-March (2016). I didn’t run away, I flew out of India on a prescheduled visit. Fair enough, I did not return for reasons that I consider are valid, so if you want to call me a fugitive, go ahead, but where is the ‘chor’ coming from… where is the ‘chori’?”
Mallya also apologised for the failure of Kingfisher Airlines, however, he insisted that the circumstances surrounding the airline’s closure were more complicated than widely portrayed and denied any criminal intent.
Vijay Mallya is accused of defaulting on loans worth over Rs 9,000 crore extended to Kingfisher Airlines by a consortium of Indian banks.
