Lalit Modi on Monday appeared to take a swipe at India after sharing a video from Vijay Mallya’s birthday celebration, in which he openly referred to himself and the embattled businessman as the country’s “two biggest fugitives”. The clip, posted on Instagram, quickly went viral and triggered sharp reactions online.
In the video, Modi, the founding commissioner of the Indian Premier League, is heard saying, “We are the two fugitives, the biggest fugitives of India,” as Mallya looks on. Accompanying the clip, Modi wrote a caption that many saw as deliberately provocative. “Let me do something to break the internet down again. Something for you folks. Wat your heart out with envy (sic),” he said.
Social Media Erupts Over ‘Mockery’
The video drew swift criticism from social media users, with many accusing the duo of mocking Indian authorities and the justice system. “What a mockery they have made of Indian government,” one user commented, while another dismissed Modi’s boast, saying, “You ain’t breaking no internet son sit down.”
Some reactions went beyond anger at the two men and instead questioned the effectiveness of Indian law enforcement agencies. “Indian law shame that they dare to make such a video (sic),” a user wrote, while another said, “They are laughing at Indian CBI/ED.”
The comments reflected a broader public frustration over the prolonged absence of accountability in high-profile economic offence cases involving figures who have been living abroad for years.
Fugitive Cases That Still Haunt India
Vijay Mallya was declared a Fugitive Economic Offender in January 2019 by a special court hearing cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The former liquor baron, accused of defaulting on multiple bank loans and facing money-laundering charges, left India in March 2016 and has remained overseas since.
Lalit Modi, meanwhile, left India in 2010 amid allegations of tax evasion, money laundering and proxy ownership linked to the cash-rich IPL. The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that Modi manipulated the process of awarding IPL broadcast rights in 2009, reportedly in exchange for a kickback of more than ₹125 crore.
More than a decade later, both men remain outside India, their cases unresolved, a reality that lent extra sting to a video many viewers saw not as bravado, but as a taunt aimed squarely at the Indian system.
