Interpol issues notice to find, extradite Nirav

Accepting the Central Bureau of Investigation’s request, the Interpol has issued a red corner notice (RCN) against billionaire diamantaire Nirav Modi in connection with the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam.

The Interpol has listed money laundering charges levelled by Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI in the RCN.

In its RCN, the Interpol has asked its 192 member countries to arrest or detain the person if spotted in their countries after which extradition or deportation proceedings can begin. Along with Nirav, Interpol RCN has been issued against his brother Neeshal Modi and close aide Subhash Parab in the PNB scam.

Nirav, along with his wife Ami Modi, a US citizen, brother Nishal, a Belgian citizen, and uncle Mehul Choksi, all accused in the CBI FIRs in the case, had left the country in the first week of January, weeks before country’s biggest banking scam surfaced.

RCN is issued to seek the location and arrest of a person wanted by a judicial jurisdiction or an international tribunal with a view to his/her extradition.

“The notice was issued on June 29 but has been made public on Monday by the International police cooperation agency,” said sources, adding that it will make unhindered movement of Nirav across border difficult and might lead to his arrest. The Interpol has issued the RCN on the basis of charge sheet filed by the CBI in a special court in Mumbai and the arrest warrant issued by the judge Special JC Jagdale.

 “In the RCN, Interpol has given details of all the five passports of Nirav, issued between May 2008 and May 2017, including that these passports have been cancelled by the Government yet he has managed to travel on the basis of revoked and cancelled passports”,  CBI officials said.

In a bid to track down Nirav, the CBI has also written several times to the UK, United States, United Arab Emirates, Belgium and Singapore. In response to a diffusion notice, the agency said, the Interpol’s Manchester office had earlier informed it about his movements till March 31. 

Nishal and Parab have also been charge sheeted by the CBI along with Nirav and Mehul Choksi for alleged corruption and cheating. Nirav and his uncle Mehul have refused to return India to join probe citing business and health reasons among others.