'We are biggest fugitives': Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya mock India in a video

IPL founder Lalit Modi has posted a social media video from a party for Vijay Mallya’s 70th birthday in London, referring to the pair as the “two biggest fugitives” of India. The video on his Instagram handle is the second in the past few days capturing birthday celebrations for Mallya, wanted in India on fraud and money laundering charges in connection with loans to the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines. “We are the two fugitives, the biggest fugitives of India,” Lalit Modi, the founding commissioner of the Indian Premier League (IPL), can be heard saying in the video.

WATCH | Lalit Modi jokes about being ‘India’s biggest fugitive’ at party with Vijay Mallya. pic.twitter.com/i9hJ09lpFB

— The Tatva (@thetatvaindia) December 23, 2025

India has been seeking the extradition of both men for years. Lalit Modi left India in 2010 following allegations of financial irregularities tied to the IPL, while Vijay Mallya fled in March 2016 after Kingfisher Airlines collapsed and mounting legal cases surfaced. Lalit Modi, who played a pivotal role in creating the Indian Premier League, was removed as IPL chairman in 2010 after facing accusations of bid rigging, money laundering, and financial misconduct. The Enforcement Directorate alleged that Modi had manipulated IPL broadcast rights in 2009 in exchange for kickbacks.

Vijay Mallya was declared a Fugitive Economic Offender in January 2019 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. He faces accusations of fraud and money laundering linked to bank loans exceeding Rs 9,000 crore and continues to fight his extradition from the United Kingdom.