Lalit Modi apologises after ‘biggest fugitives’ video with Vijay Mallya sparks outrage

Lalit Modi on social media remarked himself and Vijay Mallya`s as India`s biggest fugitives. (Pic/Screengrab from X)

Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman and fugitive Lalit Modi on Monday issued an apology to the Indian government. The apology from Modi came days after he referred to himself and liquor baron Vijay Mallya as the two "biggest fugitives" in a viral video. The video posted on social media soon went viral and created an outrage all across the internet.

While posting on social media handle X, Lalit Modi did not clearly specify what exactly he was apologising for, but comments on his post indicate that he is apologising for the video that he posted a few days ago, as reported by news agency IANS.

Fugitive Lalit Modi, while taking it to social media, said, "I apologise if I have hurt anyone's feelings, especially the Indian Government, who I have the highest respect and regard for. The statement was misconstrued and was never intended to be as played out. Once again, my deepest apologies.

A social media post from Lalit Modi seeking an apology came after a video showing Modi at Mallya's lavish birthday party in London went viral last week. In that clip, Lalit Modi was heard saying, "We are the two fugitives, the biggest fugitives of India.

The former IPL chairman had himself shared the video on Instagram, captioning it, "Let me do something to break the internet down again. Something for you folks. "Watch your heart out with envy (sic)."

The post by Lalit soon triggered sharp reactions online, with several users accusing Modi and Mallya of making a "mockery of the Indian government" and the country's legal system, reported IANS.

Following the backlash by the people on X and Instagram, Lalit Modi in a few hours deleted the video from his social media account.

Reacting indirectly to the controversy sparked by Modi's remarks, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated India's position that those wanted by law would be brought back to face justice.

Ministry of External Affairs: The process of bringing back fugitives is still on

Soon after the video went viral on the internet, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal asserted, "We remain fully committed to ensuring that people who are fugitives, who are wanted by law in India, return to the country. For this particular return, we are in talks with several governments, and processes are on. In several of these cases, there are several layers of legalities involved. But we remain committed to bringing them back to the country so that they can face trial before the courts here," as cited by news agency IANS.

Both Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya, who are facing serious charges in India, have been residing in the United Kingdom for several years.

Lalit Modi left India in 2010 after allegations surfaced against him relating to tax evasion, money laundering and proxy ownership linked to the lucrative IPL. Whereas, the Enforcement Directorate has claimed that he manipulated the process of assigning IPL broadcast rights in 2009, allegedly in exchange for kickbacks exceeding Rs 125 crore.

Vijay Mallya, the former chairman of United Breweries and promoter of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, fled India in 2016 amid allegations of financial fraud, as per IANS.

Mallya is accused of defaulting on multiple bank loans and is said to owe Indian banks around Rs 9,000 crore.

(With inputs from IANS)