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Vijay Mallya Tracked To Country Home In London Amid Opposition Fury In Parliament

Vijay Mallya's Reputation Precedes Him At Sprawling Country Home In London
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 12: Sahara Force India Team Principle Vijay Mallya welcomes Sergio Perez as their new driver on December 12, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)
Scott Heavey via Getty Images
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 12: Sahara Force India Team Principle Vijay Mallya welcomes Sergio Perez as their new driver on December 12, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

Liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is facing legal proceedings for allegedly defaulting loans of over Rs 9,000 crore from various banks, has currently sought refuge in his country house on the outskirts of London, according to media reports. News of Mallya's whereabouts comes even as a furious Opposition staged a walk out of Parliament, demanding his arrest.

News channel Times Now reported that locals have confirmed Mallya's presence at his country home in Tiwen village. Mallya's staff refused to comment on the issue.

Yesterday, the government informed the Supreme Court that Mallya left the country a week back, sparking sharp reactions from politicians.

"I spoke to the CBI little while ago and it told me that on March 2 he (Mallya) left the country," Attorney General(AG) Mukul Rohatgi told the bench comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and R F Nariman. The bench issued notice to Mallya and sought his response within two weeks on pleas filed by a consortium of banks seeking direction for freezing his passport and his presence before the apex court.

Since the court was informed that Mallya has already left the country, probably to UK, the bench allowed the plea of AG that the notice to him can be served through his official Rajya Sabha Email ID, Indian High Commission at London and also through counsel representing him before various high courts, Debt Recovery Tribunal and also through his Company.

Banks will take every possible action against defaulters: FM Arun Jaitley in Lok Sabha #VijayMallya

— ANI (@ANI_news) March 10, 2016

Mallya's reputation preceded him at the Tiwen village in Hertforshire where his "secret" country home 'Ladywalk' stands.

"He visits the local pubs regularly. Even yesterday a lady in a Black Audi car with 'Force India' written on it was here to meet him. I can tell when he is in town because there is a buzz around he moves around in several fancy cars. His house is among the biggest in our county," a villager told NDTV.

CNN-IBN too confirmed, quoting neighbours, that Mallya was staying put in his 30-acre estate.

Miles away, back in Delhi, Congress President Sonia Gandhi led a walkout in Lok Sabha. "They talk about bringing back black money, then how did they allow this," questioned Rahul Gandhi.

The government responded with a counter charge: "When Vijay Mallya went abroad, the Congress was in power and a case was registered under FEMA," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.