Fugitive diamantairie Nirav Modi’s arrest has become another topic for opposition leaders with which to take potshots at the BJP government.

Minutes after news of Nirav Modi’s arrest broke, minister of state Hardeep Singh Puri took to Twitter to welcome the news of Nirav Modi’s arrest.

“You can run, but cannot hide from the country’s #Chowkidar. As wheels of justice grind, after Vijay Mallya, fugitive Nirav Modi has been arrested in London. Clear sign that this is not the India which will allow economic offenders to loot the country & evade the long arm of law,” Puri tweeted.

Reacting to Puri’s tweet, Congress general secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit out at the BJP and questioned whether the BJP could claim Nirav Modi’s arrest as an achievement of the government.

When asked about Modi’s arrest in London, she asked, “Ye achievement hai? Jaane kisne diya tha? (Is this an achievement? Who let him flee in the first place?).”

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah took to Twitter to react to news of Nirav Modi’s arrest. “It’s amusing to see the BJP falling over itself to credit the PM with the Nirav Modi arrest while completely ignoring the fact that it was The Telegraph of London & it’s correspondent who found Nirav Modi, not the PM & his agencies,” Abdullah tweeted.

Speaking on the sidelines of a press conference, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “They (BJP) had only helped him flee the country, now they are bringing him back. They are bringing him back for the elections, they will send him back after elections.”

Nirav Modi was arrested in central London on Tuesday evening and produced before the Westminster magistrates court which refused his bail. Nirav Modi’s arrest came a day after a UK Court issued an arrest warrant against his name. The arrest warrant was issued a few days after British home secretary Sajid Javid certified India’s request to the UK asking for Modi’s extradition.

India has asked the UK to extradite Nirav Modi, who is accused of major fiancial irregularities running into thousands of crores linked to the the Punjab National Bank. Nirav Modi has contested his extradition to India.

“Nirav Deepak Modi, 48 (Date of Birth 24.02.71), was arrested on behalf of the Indian authorities on Tuesday in Holborn. He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

First Published: Mar 20, 2019 19:05 IST