Nirav Modi fraud case moves forward

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
May 25, 2018

After the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed two charge-sheets against the jewellery tycoons Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, and officials at the Punjab National Bank (PNB), top CBI directors have been sent back to their districts.

The CBI Joint Directors Rajiv Singh and Nina Singh have both been repatriated to their respective states along with other CBI Officers R Gopal Krishna Rao and DIG Anish Prasad. Rajiv Singh and the other Officers were prematurely repatriated to the Tripura cadre and Nina Singh has been repatriated to Rajasthan. The reason cited was a shortage of personnel in the state and that most of their work in the centre is done.

This decision was made a week after the CBI filed two charge-sheets against Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, and officials at the PNB as part of the largest scale accused fraud in India’s banking history. PNB Officials who have been charged include the former Managing Director and CEO Usha Ananthasubramanian.

Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi are still refusing to return to India despite their passports being revoked and multiple demands for them to return being issued, even by government ministers. The next step will be to issue a Red Corner Notice which constitutes a request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual prior to a pending extradition. Modi and Choksi are believed to be in the US and so such a notice would be handled there.