NEW DELHI: Vijay Mallya, declared a fugitive by the government, quipped on X about “becoming a cockroach”, wondering if he may have a “better life on the cockroach side” as he cried “injustice” over legal action linked to his bank dues.Mallya, who is living in London, made the remarks while responding to the legal proceedings against him and defending his position on the recovery of money owed to banks by his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.“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,” he wrote on X.He cited an Enforcement Directorate (ED) affidavit that he claimed was filed before the Bombay high court and alleged that the agency had confirmed the recovery of more than Rs 14,000 crore and its transfer to banks.“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 alleged.
Mallya questions his ‘fugitive’ tag
Mallya also argued that repayment of bank dues should not depend on his physical presence in India.“Thank you all for your mixed replies to my tweets. Love and hate go hand in hand and I respectfully accept that whilst humbly accepting your opinions. But for those who do not understand the difference between permanent residency and citizenship and for those who think that repayments are based on physical presence, please think again,” he claimed.A day earlier, he had said he was legally unable to leave the UK, where he claimed to have been a permanent resident since 1992.“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. All this started with poster boy actions by the Government of India who have been grossly unjust in my case,” he said in the post on X.
Mentions Rs 14,131.60 crore recovery
Mallya posted what he described as an extract from an ED affidavit filed before the Bombay High Court and pointed to the figure of Rs 14,131.60 crore.“Affidavit filed by the ED in the Hon’ble Bombay High Court. Para 7 is the decreed debt and Para 17 shows recovered Rs 14,131.60 crore in 2021 !! 5 years on I am still referred to as a fraud who cheated the Banks,” he said.He also shared a table that he claimed showed the recovery made in his case and questioned why he continued to be described as a fraudster.“To all who believe in fair and proper accounting justice please see the following table. Do I still deserve the way I am berated by the media and referred to as a fraudster at the very outset of a journalist’s script ? Why not start asking when I will get my refund,” he said.
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The ‘fugitive’ tag
Mallya was among 15 people declared Fugitive Economic Offenders under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, according to a statement made by MoS Finance Pankaj Chaudhary in the Lok Sabha in October 2025. The list also included Nirav Modi.In February this year, the Bombay High Court criticised Mallya and said he could not seek equitable relief while deliberately avoiding court proceedings. The court gave him a final opportunity to clarify whether he intended to return to India.Mallya’s petition challenges the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act and his declaration as a fugitive economic offender.
