Government investigation locates Nirav Modi in New York

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Apr 27, 2018

​The jeweller Nirav Modi was found in New York by the Indian government as part of the ongoing investigation into his alleged fraud at the Punjab National Bank (PNB), it emerged on Friday.

The government report, accessed by the Times of India, states that Modi fled to New York via London.

After searching for Modi since the fraud scandal broke in February, Modi left Mumbai on January 1 and travelled to the UAE. He left the UAE on February 2 and travelled to Hong Kong where he has many business interests, but regulations there meant he had to leave mid-February.

From Hong Kong, Modi travelled to London on February 14 and then went on to New York a month later. During this time, the Enforcement Division (ED) arrested and questioned executives from Modi’s businesses including Firestar Group’s Vice President Shyam Sunder.

Modi’s passport is currently revoked but both he and his uncle Mehul Choksi have refused to return to India where they face non-bailable arrest warrants. The Union Government’s Defence Minister has assured that the pair will be brought to justice in India and knowing Modi’s arrest may bring the government closer to this goal, although extraditing Modi could prove challenging.

The fraud total now stands at 13,578 crore rupees (approximately 2.04 billion US dollars) for Modi and Choksi’s respective groups of companies.