India asks UK to ensure early extradition of Vijay Mallya

NEW DELHI: India today asked the United Kingdom to ensure early extradition of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya

who is facing cases of bank loan default to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore by his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.     

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi raised the issue of early completion of the extradition process of Mallya, during his talks here with his UK counterpart Patsy Wilkinson, the second permanent secretary in the the British Home Office.

Mallya, whose now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines allegedly owes more than Rs 9,000 crore to various banks, had fled India on March 2, 2016. India and the UK have an extradition treaty, signed in 1992, but so far only one extradition has taken place under the arrangement that of Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, who was sent back to India last October to face trial for his involvement in the post-Godhra riots of 2002.   

India will inform the UK about the proceedings or hearings happening in the cases of wanted criminals by the UK in India and wants the UK to reciprocate in similar cases. Both sides agreed that India and the UK will sign an MoU in July on reworking the agreement on security cooperation.     

India also offered to drop cases registered against one Bangladeshi national, who is lodged in Assam, so that he can be extradited to the UK. In return, sources said, India expects reciprocity that if people wanted by New Delhi are mired in any British case, those should be dropped and extradition facilitated.