India vs South Africa: Vijay Mallya booed with 'chor, chor' chants at Oval

LONDON: Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya was today heckled by cricket fans who chanted "chor, chor" (thief, thief) as he arrived to watch the India vs South Africa Champions Trophy match at The Oval cricket ground here.

The 61-year-old chief of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, who has been living in self-imposed exile in Britain since last year and is facing extradition proceedings in UK courts, walked speedily past Indian fans outside the stadium.

"Chor gaya chor (there goes a thief) and chor, chor (thief, thief)," were among the chants that could be heard from the crowds.

Mallya, whose Kingfisher Airlines allegedly owes more than Rs 9,000 crore to various banks, had left India on March 2016. The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is currently working on extradition proceedings against him based on evidence provided by Indian authorities.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Tuesday.

Last week, Mallya had caused a stir by his attendance of the India vs Pakistan match in Birmingham after which he had said on Twitter that he would be attending all India matches in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.

"Wide sensational media coverage on my attendance at the IND v PAK match at Edgbaston. I intend to attend all games to cheer the India team," he had tweeted.

He also made an appearance at captain Virat Kohli's fundraising dinner in London to raise funds for anti-human trafficking charity Justice and Care.

"Virat or his foundation never invited Mallya at the function," a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BBCI) official had claimed.

In April, Mallya was arrested by Scotland Yard on fraud allegations, triggering an official extradition process in the British courts.

He attended a central London police station for his arrest and was released on conditional bail a few hours later after providing a bail bond worth 650,000 pounds, assuring the court of abiding by all conditions associated with extradition proceedings, such as the surrender of his passport and a ban on him possessing any travel documents.