Photo courtesy: Twitter/ANI

LONDON: Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya was on Sunday 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 the 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.

Mallya, for a fleeting second, looked back before showing his customary nonchalance while making his way to the Hospitality Box.

The Indian government has been desperately trying for Mallya's extradition. The former UB group chief fled the country last year and has unpaid debts close to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore taken as loans from various Indian banks.

Last week, Mallya had caused a stir by his attendance at 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.



In Video: Vijay Mallya booed with 'chor, chor' chants during India-South Africa match