Responding to the barrage of trolls that came his way on Twitter after West Indies batsman Chris Gayle posted a picture with him, beleaguered beer baron Vijay Mallya on Saturday retorted by asking Twitteratis to ask their banks 'why they were not taking 100 percent of the money' he had been offering. Mallya, currenlty in the UK, is facing extradition for loan defaults to the tune of about Rs 9,000 crore taken from a consortium of 13 banks led by state-owned State Bank of India.
For all those who saw my photo with the universe boss and my dear friend @henrygayle and commented, please pause and get your facts right about my being your CHOR. Ask your Banks why they are not taking 100 percent of the money I have been offering.
— Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) July 13, 2019
Gayle and Mallya were at the Silverstone Circuit in the UK for the Formula 1 qualifying session when the picture was clicked. Gayle was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, a team which was owned by Mallya in the Indian Premier League, for a couple of seasons.
Great to catch up with Big Boss @TheVijayMallya cheers 🥂 #RockStar 👌🏿 #F1 pic.twitter.com/cdi5X9XZ2I
— Chris Gayle (@henrygayle) July 13, 2019
The 'fugitive economic offender,' as declared earlier this year by a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court in Mumbai, Mallya wasn't spared.
From users asking Gayle to check his wallet and jewellery to asking him to ask Mallya to return the defaulted loan amount, netizens didn't hold back.
Bach ke rahiyo Chris bhaiyya..ye chichora purse maar dega photo khichwane ke chakkar mein
— IRONY MAN (@karanku100) July 13, 2019
Locket toh gaya bhai tera
— Rofl Gandhi (@RoflGandhi_) July 13, 2019
Criminal mallya please cut our friendship 😂
— Ro¢ky Edwαrd 💙🇮🇳🏏 (@IAmRockyEdward) July 13, 2019
Please ask him to repay ₹9000crs to @TheOfficialSBI
And then came Mallya's response:
Great to catch up with the Universe Boss and my dear friend. For all those of you losers who call me CHOR, ask your own Banks to take their full money that I am offering for the past one year. Then decide on who is CHOR.
— Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) July 13, 2019
Cries of 'Chor' were raised by match-goers on June 9 while he was leaving after attending the World Cup match between India and Australia at the Oval.
#WATCH London, England: Vijay Mallya says, "I am making sure my mother doesn't get hurt", as crowd shouts "Chor hai" while he leaves from the Oval after the match between India and Australia. pic.twitter.com/ft1nTm5m0i
— ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2019
An active Twitter user, Mallya, who has heavily borrowed from the public sector banks, put out a series of tweet in April claiming that he had 'offered to pay back 100 percent but was being criminally charged instead' and criticising the banks and the governmnet of spending on legal fees trying to recover money from him in the UK despite his payback offer.
None other than the Prime Minister of India specifically says in an interview that his Government has recovered more money than I allegedly owe PSU Banks and the same Banks claim otherwise in English Courts. Who does one believe ? One or the other is lying.
— Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 18, 2019
Mallya has been charged by the Enforcement Directorate for the defaults and also has pending cases of fraud and money laundering against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in the special PMLA court which had also confiscated his properties, pegged at more than Rs. 12,000 crore, first under the new law.
On the extradition front, the king of good times, on July 2 this year, got a reprive when the UK High Court allowed him to appeal against his extradition order signed off by the UK home secretary Sajid Javid. He'd left India in March 2016.
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