Vijay Mallya backs India's lockdown from UK self-quarantine; pleads to govt over repayment

Fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya who is in the UK has commented on the Coronavirus lockdown in India and said the Central government has done what was "unthinkable" in locking down the entire country and that he "respects" that. Taking to Twitter, Mallya said that all his companies have effectively ceased operations and all the manufacturing is closed as well. He added that his companies are not sending employees home and paying the idle cost. Mallya asked the Indian government for help.

'Government has to help'

'I wish the FM would listen in this time of crisis'

In another tweet, Mallya once again offered to pay '100% of KFA loans to Indian banks' and wrote, "I have made repeated offers to pay 100 % of the amount borrowed by KFA to the Banks. Neither are Banks willing to take money and neither is the ED willing to release their attachments which they did at the behest of the Banks. I wish the FM would listen in this time of crisis."

The 64-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss is wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to an alleged Rs 9,000 crores in unpaid bank loans. Mallya remains on bail since his arrest on an extradition warrant in April 2017 involving a bond worth 650,000 pounds and other restrictions on his travel while he contests that ruling.

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India sees the biggest single spike in Coronavirus cases

Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week announced a 21-day lockdown to check the spread of the highly contagious virus, which has so far killed over 30,000 people across the world. India on Monday witnessed 227 new coronavirus cases, the biggest spike in a day so far, taking the total number of infection cases in the country to 1251. The death toll from the infection in the country stands at 32.

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