The government on Friday reiterated its firm commitment to ensuring that fugitives wanted in India return to the country and face trial before Indian courts, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
Responding to media queries during the weekly briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government continues to engage with multiple countries to secure the return of economic offenders, even though the process involves complex legal procedures.
“We remain fully committed that people who are fugitives and wanted by law in India return to the country. There are several layers of legalities involved, but we remain committed to bringing them back so that they can face trial before the courts here,” Jaiswal said.
The remarks came in response to questions about a viral video featuring economic fugitives Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya, which sparked widespread reactions on social media.
Lalit Modi had shared photos and videos on social media platforms showing himself with Vijay Mallya at the latter’s birthday celebrations in London. In one of the clips, Lalit Modi referred to himself and Mallya as “the two biggest fugitives of India,” drawing sharp criticism online.
Both Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya are facing cases related to alleged financial irregularities in India and have denied the charges against them.
Earlier, the government informed the Lok Sabha that a total of 15 individuals have been declared Fugitive Economic Offenders (FEOs) under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, as of October 31, 2025.
Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said that nine of these offenders are involved in large-scale financial frauds against public sector banks. The list includes high-profile individuals such as Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, among others.
According to the government, the 15 FEOs have collectively caused a principal loss of ₹26,645 crore to banks. Interest accrued on these loans from the date they became non-performing assets up to October 31, 2025, amounts to an additional ₹31,437 crore.
The government also informed Parliament that ₹19,187 crore has been recovered from these offenders till October 31, 2025.
Earlier this month, Vijay Mallya had questioned statements by the government and public sector banks regarding the amounts recovered from him and sought an independent probe into the matter.
-ANI
