Mallya case may serve as template to bring Nirav back

Newdelhi:authorities believe the case of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya could serve as a template for ongoing efforts to have diamantaire Nirav Modi, who was arrested in London on Tuesday, extradited to India.

The Indian government has welcomed the arrest of Modi, 48, by the Metropolitan Police this week. Modi, who is wanted in connection with an alleged ₹13,500 crore scam at Punjab National Bank, is the subject of an extradition request made by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.

“There is now a template that exists from India’s case for the extradition of Mallya. The Indian side has also been able to the address the concerns of the UK judiciary about prison conditions in India. All of this should help in the efforts to extradite Nirav Modi,” a person familiar with the situation said on Friday.

Last month, UK home secretary Sajid Javid signed an order to extradite Mallya, who flew to London in March 2016 as banks closed in on him to recover ₹9,000 crore owed to them by his defunct Kingfisher Airlines. He has filed an appeal against the decision.

During a regular news briefing, external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said legal proceedings will take their own course in Modi’s case in line with the established practices in British courts.