‘Call Me a Fugitive, But I’m Not a Chor’: Vijay Mallya Breaks Silence on Charges

‘Call Me a Fugitive, But I’m Not a Chor’: Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, facing fraud and money laundering charges worth ₹9,000 crore, has opened up for the first time in nine years about the fall of Kingfisher Airlines, the allegations against him, and his life in exile. Speaking on a podcast hosted by YouTuber Raj Shamani, Mallya issued a rare public apology to his former employees, while firmly denying any wrongdoing.

“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 said on the podcast.

Mallya, who has lived in the UK since 2016, also commented on whether staying abroad worsened his legal troubles. “If I have assurance of a fair trial and a dignified existence in India, you may be right, but I don’t,” he said.

When asked directly if he would return to India under assurances of fairness, Mallya replied, “If I am assured, absolutely, I will think about it seriously.” He also cited a UK High Court of Appeal ruling in another extradition case, stating that Indian detention conditions had been found to violate Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. “Therefore they can’t be sent back,” Mallya said, implying that he had similar concerns.

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The Indian government has not yet responded to Mallya’s comments made during the interview.

Taking to his X (formerly called Twitter), Mallya shared multiple posts and reels on Thursday, saying, "For those who are interested, I have spoken for the first time in nine years on this podcast. I want to say sorry to the employees of Kingfisher Airlines and also to set the record straight with facts and the truth"

Revisiting the downfall of Kingfisher Airlines, Mallya said the 2008 global financial crisis was a major trigger. “You ever heard of Lehman Brothers? You ever heard of the global financial crisis, right? Did it not impact India? Of course, it did,” he told Shamani, adding, “Every sector was hit. The money stopped. It got dry. The value of the Indian rupee also took a hit.”

According to Mallya, he approached then-finance minister Pranab Mukherjee with a restructuring plan. “I went to Shri Pranab Mukherjee... and said I have a problem. Kingfisher Airlines needs to downsize, cut the number of aircraft, and lay off employees, as I can’t afford to operate under these depressed economic circumstances,” he said. However, he claimed he was advised against downsizing and was promised support from banks.

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“I was told not to downsize. You continue, banks will support you. That is how it all started. King Fisher Airlines has been forced to suspend all of its flights. King Fisher Airlines has been struggling. At the time when you asked loan, the company was not doing that great,” Mallya recounted.

Earlier in February 2025, Mallya approached the Karnataka High Court, seeking details about how much money banks had recovered from him. His legal team argued that while the original debt stood at Rs 6,200 crore, banks have already recovered Rs 14,000 crore—more than double the amount owed. They claimed that despite this, recovery actions were still continuing and requested the court to instruct banks to provide a detailed statement of recovered funds.

India has been making efforts to extradite him from the UK for his alleged loan defaults and financial fraud.

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