Fresh charges against Nirav Modi for using old passports to travel

NEWDELHI: Investigators are probing whether fugitive diamond trader Nirav Modi is using old passports issued to him to travel across the world.

“A multi-agency inquiry has established that in all Nirav was issued six passports. Among them five were old and were cancelled. But is it quite possible that few of passports issued earlier were cancelled but not stamped as cancelled and Nirav may have used them after leaving India in the first week of January,” said a government official who tracks fugitive economic offenders.

The ministry of external affairs didn’t formally respond on the issue but government officials familiar with the matter said all passports issued to Nirav Modi have been physically cancelled, whenever he applied for the new passport, except the last one which stands revoked and could be physically cancelled once it is produced before the authorities.

Nirav and his maternal uncle Mehul Choksi, who too left India in the first week of January, have been accused by the state-owned PNB of committing a fraud of over ₹13,000 crore. Both have not returned to India despite repeated summons from the CBI and ED.

In order to force them to return India, the ministry of external affairs on the request of probe agencies cancelled their passports. But still, it was found that Nirav was travelling around the world. Both the agencies have filed formal charges against them and moved Interpol for issuance Red Notice against them. Once Red Notice issued, the Interpol member countries will be asked to detain them if the accused are within their jurisdiction and inform India.

The official added that travelling on a cancelled passport is an offence and a separate case could be lodged in this regard.