21 August,2018 07:32 AM IST | Mumbai | Rahul Mahajani
Nirav Modi
In a major development, businessman Nirav Modi has been traced in London, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sent an extradition request to the ministry of home affairs (MHA), which will send it to the ministry of external affairs (MEA). The MEA will then send it to the UK government. Modi has been booked in the over Rs 13,700-crore PNB scam in which CBI and ED have filed cases.
Modi, who is suspected to have left India in January 2018, travelled to many places and when a letters rogatory was issued by the special court on ED's request, it was issued to six different countries - Hong Kong, the USA, the UK, the UAE, South Africa and Singapore. A senior official of the CBI confirmed the development and said the MEA was informed by the UK government about the presence of Modi, based on which CBI has begun the extradition proceedings.
A few days ago, Modi's uncle Méhul Choksi was located in Antigua, and the proceedings to extradite him are in process. Officials said the process will take sometime, however, Modi will now not be able to move out of the UK, as in the past he had travelled to different countries though his passport was revoked.
The cases
The CBI has registered two separate offences against Modi, Choksi and others. The CBI probe revealed that from 2011 to 2017 the accused PNB officials and others fraudulently issued a large number of letters of undertaking to overseas banks, to obtain buyer's credit in favour of some of the jeweller's firms. The ED has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Modi, Choksi and others, based on the FIR by the CBI.
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Summons
A special court in Mumbai had recently asked Modi to appear before it on September 25, or else he will be declared a fugitive economic offender, and his property will be confiscated. Choksi has been asked to appear the next day.
Rs 13,700 cr
The PNB scam is more than this sum
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