Interpol Red Notice against Nirav Modi soon

NEWDELHI: An Interpol Red Notice may soon be issued against fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, officials familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Once the notice is issued, Interpol member countries will be asked to locate and detain Nirav and extradite him.

Nirav and his maternal uncle Mehul Choksi are accused of committing fraud of over ₹13,000 in the state-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB).

Both of them reportedly left the country in the first week of January and are currently on the run. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing money laundering charges against the duo, have issued repeated summons to the two. Their passports also stand revoked.

“A meeting was also held between the officials of the ministry of external affairs, the CBI, ED and Bureau of Immigration to discuss the issue of multiple passports, wherein the CBI stated that they kept the Interpol informed about Nirav’s movements at every stage,” said an official familiar with the development of the case. The CBI tried to track Nirav’s movements through a diffusion notice issued to six countries — the US, Singapore, Belgium, the UAE, the UK and France — through the Interpol on February 15, but only the UK replied with details about his movements to and from London’s Heathrow airport till March 31.

According to the information from the UK, Nirav managed to travel across several countries – US, Hong Kong, France and the UK — even after the Indian government informed the Interpol that his passport had been revoked.

Earlier, the CBI had said that they sent reminders to all the countries where Nirav is suspected to have travelled for any information on his movements.