Fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, wanted in the multi-crore Punjab National Bank fraud in India, has been traced to an £8 million apartment in London’s West End. The UK daily The Telegraph, who tracked him down, reported that Nirav Modi is running a new diamond business just a few hundred yards from his new abode.
The Telegraph published a video in which a journalist is seen throwing questions to the diamond billionaire who seems looking to get into a cab. Nirav, who now sports a handlebar moustache and looks different from the pictures in public domain, dodged most of the questions with a "no comments" response and a smirk. It was quite evident that he was trying to maintain composure. The report added that he was wearing a jacket made from “Ostrich hide” which costs “at least £10,000” (over Rs 9 lakh).
According to The Telegraph, Modi is living in a “three-bedroom flat occupying half of a floor of the landmark Centre Point tower block, with views across London”.
"Modi appears to have adopted a surprisingly nonchalant attitude to his fugitive status, walking his small dog each day between his apartment and the diamond company's office in a town house in Soho, just a few hundred yards from his Centre Point home. The Telegraph has also learnt from a well-placed government source that, Modi was given a national insurance number in recent months by the department for work & pensions and has been able to operate online bank accounts in the UK while wanted by Indian authorities. He has also been in contact with a wealth management company based in west London, which specialises in advice to rich foreigners. It is not clear why the British government has given him a national insurance number and yet has apparently failed to act on the Interpol red notice," The Telegraph report said. National insurance numbers are required to legally work in the UK.
