Fugitive businessperson Vijay Mallya took to X on Thursday with a series of posts hitting back at accusations that he is evading Indian authorities, days after asserting that he remains legally barred from leaving the United Kingdom.
"With all the injustices I have faced and continue to face, I wonder if I should become a cockroach. Maybe a better life on the cockroach side," Mallya wrote in one post, without elaborating further on the remark.
In an earlier post the same day, Mallya referred to an affidavit he claimed had been filed in court by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
"And may I say again, affidavit filed in Court by the most feared criminal agency the Enforcement Directorate confirms that they handed over Rs 14,000 plus crores to the Banks in 2021. Forget what I say if you don't trust me. Focus on what the Enforcement Directorate said," he wrote.
Mallya has previously cited a Finance Ministry statement in Parliament stating that the ED had helped recover Rs 14,131.6 crore for banks against a judgment debt of Rs 6,203 crore in his case, and has repeatedly argued that this amounts to recovery of more than twice the original debt.
ALSO READ: Vijay Mallya Rejects 'Bhagoda' Tag, Says Legally Prohibited From Leaving UK
The former Kingfisher Airlines chief also pushed back on Tuesday against being labelled a "bhagoda", or fugitive.
"For all who say I am a bhagoda refusing to come to India, please be aware that I have been a permanent resident of the United Kingdom since 1992 and am currently legally prohibited from leaving this country," he wrote, adding, "All this started with poster boy actions by the Government of India who have been grossly unjust in my case."
Mallya, who has been declared a fugitive economic offender by Indian authorities, is wanted in India in connection with an alleged bank loan default case involving Kingfisher Airlines estimated at over Rs 9,000 crore.
He has been fighting extradition proceedings in the UK for several years, and continues to dispute the characterisation of his conduct as fraudulent, maintaining that he never personally borrowed funds and offered to repay banks the principal amount owed.
ALSO READ: 'Idea Is To Move On': Bombay HC Leans Towards Closure In Vijay Mallya-SBI Asset Dispute
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