Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya 'laugh' over being 'two biggest fugitives from India'; watch video here

Lalit Modi on Monday shared a video from Vijay Mallya’s birthday party, in which he described himself and Mallya as the “two biggest fugitives from India.”

The video, posted on Lalit Modi’s Instagram account, shows him posing with Mallya and saying, “We are the two biggest fugitive from India.” Modi captioned the post, “Let me do something to break the internet down again. Happy birthday my friend #VijayMallya Love u.”

Watch video here:

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A post shared by Lalit Modi (@lalitkmodi)

The video triggered strong reactions on social media, with several users warning that the duo would “regret this” and remarking that “karma will follow, if not today then tomorrow.” Others said the clip went beyond humour and amounted to an open mockery of the Indian state.

“This is not humour, it is an open mockery of the Indian state. When economic offenders joke freely from foreign soil, it exposes how weak enforcement and political will really are. The silence of the government sends a dangerous message that the powerful can loot the country, flee, and laugh, while ordinary citizens face the full force of the law for far smaller mistakes,” one user commented.

Lalit Modi hosted the birthday party on December 16 at his six-bedroom residence in London’s Belgrave Square. Friends of Vijay Mallya reportedly travelled from India to attend the event. Those present at the gathering included fashion designer Manoviraj Khosla, actor Idris Elba and entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.

Vijay Mallya, the former owner of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, left India for the United Kingdom in 2016 after multiple cases were filed against him over alleged financial irregularities and loan defaults involving thousands of crores of rupees. Indian authorities are seeking his extradition in money laundering and fraud cases.

Lalit Modi, the former chairman of the Indian Premier League, also left India in 2010 following investigations into alleged financial misconduct and irregularities during the league’s early years.