Fugitive Nirav Modi can be brought to India soon, UK High Court clears the way for extradition

Fugitive Nirav Modi may be brought to India soon. The High Court of London on Wednesday ordered the extradition of diamond merchant Nirav Modi to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan scam case Lord Justice Jeremy Stuart-Smith and Justice Robert Jay, who presided over the appeal hearing earlier this year, gave this ruling.

Nirav Modi, a 51-year-old businessman who is behind bars at Wandsworth Prison in south-east London. Modi had appealed against being sent back to India to face trial in the massive fraud case involving PNB which he lost today at the London High Court.

Nirav Modi had scammed Rs 6498.62 crore from Punjab National Bank. After that he fled abroad. He is currently in a London prison. The Government of India is constantly trying to bring him back. During the probe, the ED had earlier attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs 2,396.45 crore of Nirav Modi and associates in India and abroad.

At the same time, in October last month, a special PMLA court had given permission to the ED to confiscate 39 properties of fugitive businessman Nirav Modi. Along with this, the court also allowed the application of PNB seeking nine properties mortgaged by Nirav Modi and his companies. Nirav was declared a fugitive by the special PMLA court in December 2019 under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act-2018.