Nirav Modi: Hong Kong to respond soon on India's arrest request
The MEA is awaiting a response from Hong Kong's Department of Justice
The MEA is awaiting a response from Hong Kong's Department of Justice
The MEA is awaiting a response from Hong Kong's Department of Justice
The MEA is awaiting a response from Hong Kong's Department of Justice
The government has been informed by the Indian mission in Hong Kong that the Department of Justice of Hong Kong will respond soon to New Delhi's request for provisional arrest of diamond merchant Nirav Modi, accused in the multi-crore Punjab National Bank fraud case.
The ministry of external affairs on Thursday said in a statement that the Hong Kong Department of Justice is examining India’s request for provisional order of arrest of Modi. “We are awaiting response from the Hong Kong authorities,” it said.
The MEA said it has requested the Hong Kong authorities to extradite Modi based on the agreement for the surrender of fugitive offenders signed between India and Hong Kong in 1997.
“Our mission in Hong Kong has informed that the Department of Justice of Hong Kong are still examining our request for provisional order of arrest of Nirav Modi. We are awaiting response from the Hong Kong authorities,” the statement said.
Modi, who has been elusive, has given many a sleepless night to the CBI and ED that have been on his trail, trying to find the exact location of the absconder. The CBI has issued look-out notices against Modi and his uncle, Mehul Choksi, in the bank fraud case worth Rs 13,578 crore.
Recently, the CBI also secured non-bailable warrants against them from a Mumbai court. The duo face allegations of defrauding Punjab National bank of Rs 13,578 crore in issuance of letters of undertaking and foreign letters of credit on the basis of allegedly fabricated documents.
Meanwhile, the CBI has widened its probe in the case after it came to light that there was another loan of Rs 5,280 crore provided by a consortium of 31 banks to Choksi's Gitanjali group of companies as working capital.
ICICI was the lead bank in the consortium. The agency will also be probing the said loan amount and its findings will become part of the investigation launched by the CBI, sources in the CBI said.
Meanwhile, the CBI on Wednesday questioned two bank officials in connection with its PNB scam probe—one of the officials was posted in the Bahrain branch of Canara bank and another at the Antwerp branch of Bank of India.