Indian tycoon cries foul over Twitter hack

Published Dec 9, 2016

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Mumbai - Fugitive Indian businessman Vijay

Mallya said on Friday that his Twitter account had been

penetrated by a hacking group called Legion, which posted links

to what it alleged were details of Mallya's bank accounts,

offshore investments and luxury cars.

Mallya, a flamboyant former billionaire who made his fortune

from a liquor and beer empire, moved to Britain in March after

being pursued in courts by banks that his now defunct Kingfisher

airline owed around $1.4 billion.

"Legion will find you, hack you, expose you," read one of

several postings tweeted by the hackers on Mallya's official

Twitter account before they were erased at around 1215 IST (0645

GMT).

Mallya, who denies being an absconder, was not immediately

available for a comment, and a spokesman for his UB Group also

declined immediate comment on the hack.

But a response was tweeted on his verified Twitter account.

"Outfit called Legion has hacked my e-mail accounts and are

blackmailing me !! What a joke."

Legion came to public attention earlier last month when it

claimed to have hacked the Twitter accounts of India's Congress

party, and its vice chair Rahul Gandhi.

Mallya is wanted by law enforcement agencies and is subject

to a non-bailable warrant from a court.

The government has also revoked Mallya's diplomatic passport

which he had received as a member of the upper house of

parliament. And the Indian authorities have sought ways to have

Mallya deported by Britain.

The Enforcement Directorate, a government agency set up to

fight financial crime, has accused Mallya's UB Group of using

some of the funds lent to Kingfisher Airlines to buy property

overseas.

Mallya has denied wrongdoing, calling the charges against

him "preposterous". He had also offered a settlement to

creditors, which they refused to consider.

REUTERS

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