For employees of Kingfisher Airlines, who had all but given up hope of receiving justice, April 18 turned out to be a red letter day. As news emerged that Vijay Mallya had been arrested in the UK by Scotland Yard, more than a year after he fled to the UK – the liquor baron’s former employees betrayed a range of emotions from surprise to celebratory joy to grim acceptance.

One former employee, who did not wish to be identified, said that he was surprised to hear the news. But, he added, this is the first step that proves even big fish like Mallya cannot escape justice.

“This is really good news. If Scotland Yard has arrested Mallya, then it proves that all his clout and influence can do nothing in the face of justice. This will not be beneficial to me personally, but considering that so many former employees were not paid their dues, it is definitely a happy day to see Mallya brought to justice,” he said.

Narendra Nath, who used to be a First Officer at Kingfisher Airlines, was even more celebratory on hearing the news. “It’s wonderful that he has been finally been brought to book. We will probably never get the money that we lost, but it’s good to know that he might be brought back to the country to face trial,” he said.

"Hats off to the Indian government for not making this another Lalit Modi case. Mallya thought that London would be a safe haven, but clearly it is not. He is getting his due and I am happy that justice is being done,” another former employee said.

“As far as the former employees are concerned, there are no laws in India which make Mallya liable for the salaries he has not paid. We will never get the money but he has ruined hundreds of families, many have committed suicide. And his show has finally ended," he added.

Others, however, said that they had moved on from their trials at the company, and reacted to the news with only grim acceptance.

Anthony (name changed on request) was a First Officer at Kingfisher and now works as a pilot at another airline. He said, “I don’t really know what is happening in the case as I haven’t kept abreast of the happenings. But sooner or later, Mallya had to get arrested. I lost a lot of money when I was with Kingfisher, but his arrest is not going to make much of a difference to me.”