New Delhi, Mar 31 (IANS): Fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Tuesday reiterated his offer to return the money he owed to a consortium of Indian banks, and sought Centres help in view of the nationawide lockdown in India.

"India is under a lockdown, and we respect it. But the functioning of my companies has stopped due to lockdown. All production has shut, but we are still not sending back our employees and thus paying for it. So, the government should help us," Mallya, who is staying in the UK after fleeing India, tweeted in the morning.

Mallya said that he had made offers to return the outstanding dues many times but neither the banks nor the Enforcement Directorate were cooperating.

He said that he hoped that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would listen to him in this hour of crisis.

Mallya, who is staying abroad for the last four years, is not willing to return to India to face charges. He allegedly owes more than Rs 9,000 crore to 13 Indian banks.

I have made repeated offers to pay 100 % of the amount borrowed by KFA to the Banks. Neither are Banks willing to take money and neither is the ED willing to release their attachments which they did at the behest of the Banks. I wish the FM would listen in this time of crisis.

— Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 31, 2020