Nirav Modi, Mallya among 31 business people under CBI probe absconding: MEA

Diamond traders Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Jatin Mehta and embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya are among 31 business people facing a CBI investigation who are fugitives abroad, the government told Parliament on Wednesday.

The names of the absconding business people were provided by minister of state for external affairs MJ Akbar while replying to a question in the Lok Sabha.

Modi and Choksi are the key accused in the Rs 12,000-crore PNB scam. Also on the list is Nirav Modi's wife, Ami.

Among the others named are Vijaykumar Revabhai Patel, Sunil Ramesh Rupani, Pushpesh Kumar Baid, Surender Singh, Angad Singh, Harsahib Singh, Harleen Kaur, Ashish Jobanputra, Neeshal Modi, Chetan Jayantilal Sandesara and Dipti Chetan Sandesara, Akbar said.

The minister added that the others who had absconded and were living abroad were Nitin Jayantilal Sandesara, Sabhya Seth, Nilesh Parrekh, Umesh Parekh, Sunny Kalra, Aarti Kalra, Sanjay Kalra, Varsha Kalra, Hemant Gandhi, Ishwarbhai Bhat, MG Chandrasakhar, Cheriya Vannarakkal Sudeer, Nausha Kadeejath and Cheriya Veettil Sadique.

The ministry of external affairs had received extradition requests from the CBI in respect of Mallya, Jobanputra, Baid, Sanjay Kalra, Varsha Kalra and Aarti Kalra which had been sent to the concerned foreign countries for their consideration, he said.

Twelve people who had left the country were also under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate, he added.

Apart from Mallya, Jatin Mehta, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Ritesh Jain, the list included Lalit Modi, Sanjay Bhandari, Nitin Jayantilal Sandesara, Chetan Jayantilal Sandesara, Dharminder Singh Anand, Ashish Jobanputra and Priti Jobanputra.

To another question, Akbar's collegue in the external affairs ministry, V K Singh, said 16 extradition requests from India were pending with the British Government.

The fugitives sought by India from the UK government include Rajesh Kapoor and Seema Kapoor, Patrick Charles Bowring, Tiger Hanif, Palaniappan Rajaratinam, Pavilose Fernandez, Lokendra Sharma, Sanjeev Kumar Chawla, Kartik Venugopal, Shaikh Sadiq S Balakrishnan, Mallya, Ritika Avasty, Rishikesh Surendra Kardile, Kavaljit Sinh, Mahendra Singh Raijada and Arti Dhir Chandan Sharma and Raj Kumar Patel.

He said one fugitive had been extradited in the last three years from the UK Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel on October 18, 2016.

Singh said the UK government had rejected the extradition proposals for fugitives Raymond Andrew Varley, Ravi Shankaran, Ajay Prasad Khaitan, Virendra Kumar Rastogi and Anand Kumar Jain, Velu, J K Angurala and Asha Rani Angurala and Jakkula Srinivas.

"The UK Court has also declined to issue arrest warrants in respect of fugitives, Rishikesh Surendra Kardile, Patrick Charles Bowering and Kartik Venugopal, on the ground of insufficient evidence of extradition offence," he said.

PTI