‘In Talks With Governments To Bring Back Fugitives’: MEA On Lalit Modi–Vijay Mallya Video

Last Updated:December 26, 2025, 16:30 IST

The MEA said the government remained “fully committed” to ensuring that fugitives facing charges in India are brought back to the country.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated India’s commitment to bringing back economic fugitives, following the circulation of a fresh social media video showing former Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi and fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya attending a private party abroad and making remarks directed at India.

Responding to questions during a press briefing, the MEA said the government remained “fully committed” to ensuring that fugitives facing charges in India are brought back to the country. The spokesperson said India was in discussions with several governments on the return of such individuals and stressed that efforts to repatriate them were ongoing.

“We remain fully committed to bringing back people who are fugitives,” the MEA said, adding, “We are in talks with several governments, and our efforts in this regard continue.”

The comments came after a video posted on Instagram by Lalit Modi showed him and Mallya at what appeared to be a birthday celebration. In the clip, Lalit Modi introduced himself and Vijay Mallya as “the two biggest fugitives of India,” a remark that quickly drew criticism online. The video was captioned by Lalit Modi with the words: “Let’s break the internet down in India again. Happy birthday my friend #VijayMallya.”

The video appears to be from Vijay Mallya’s 70th birthday celebration, hosted by Lalit Modi. Last week, Lalit Modi had also shared footage from the event on social media platform X, describing it as a gathering of friends and family who had travelled from different parts of the world to mark the occasion. This is not the first time the two have shared images or videos of themselves socialising abroad.

Vijay Mallya left India on March 2, 2016, after the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines and amid mounting legal troubles. He is wanted in India in connection with a bank loan default case involving more than Rs 9,000 crore and was declared a Fugitive Economic Offender in January 2019 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Several of his companies, including United Breweries (Holdings) Ltd, are under investigation by agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

Lalit Modi left India in 2010 after allegations of money laundering and tax evasion surfaced against him. The Enforcement Directorate later registered a money laundering case and a special court in Mumbai issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him in 2015.

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