Those who loot poor will have to return it: PM on day of Mallya's arrest

New Delhi: Those who have "looted the poor and the middle classes will have to return what they have looted," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, on a day businessman Vijay Mallya was arrested in London on loan default charges.

"Indeed. There is no place for corruption in India. Those who looted the poor & middle classes will have to return what they have looted," he tweeted.

He was responding to a tweet by a follower who wrote that "...corruption not only robs us of hard earned money but also of our dignity."

Mallya, who has been declared a proclaimed offender, was arrested in London by Scotland Yard on India's request for his extradition in a loan default case. He was also subsequently granted bail after a couple of hours.

Senior Indian officials described his arrest as the first salvo in the case, which will now involve a legal process in the UK to determine if Mallya can be extradited to India to face charges in Indian courts.

In response to another tweet, Modi wrote, "India’s farmers are the nation’s pride. Their hard work feeds millions. We are doing everything possible for their welfare."