PNB scam: Interpol set to issue red corner notice against Nirav Modi

The Interpol is all set to issue red notice against fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi as the international agency is satisfied with the documents provided by the CBI which is probing the $2 billion scam, sources said.

Records the CBI provided to the Interpol included the non-bailable warrants issued by a Mumbai special court and the details of the charge sheets filed in the case. The documents were found in order and have satisfied the Lyon-based international police cooperation agency, which is "processing" the CBI's request, they said.

The sources said the process was at an advanced stage and a red notice could be issued by early next week, unless some last-minute explanation was sought, the chances of which were negligible, they said.

The sources in the government said that a meeting of the External Affairs Ministry, the CBI and other investigative agencies today discussed Nirav Modi's multiple passports.

At the meeting, convened by an Additional Secretary-level officer of the MEA, inputs were sought from the CBI on the issue of fugitives being able to travel across borders in spite of carrying cancelled or revoked passports, they said.

The CBI had tried to track the movements of Nirav Modi through a diffusion notice issued through the Interpol on February 15, but it had limited success as only the United Kingdom responded to the CBI request, they said.

Nirav Modi managed to travel across several countries even after information about his passport being revoked by the Indian government was flashed in the Interpol central database on February 24, the CBI had earlier said.

"After the passport was revoked/cancelled by the External Affairs Ministry, we had updated this information in the diffusion notice. The information that Nirav Modi's has been revoked was provided in the Interpol central database, available to all the member countries, on February 24," CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal had said.

He had said the after the 'diffusion' notice was issued by the Interpol on the request of the CBI, the agency followed it up with six countries where Nirav Modi was suspected to have fled. The agency requested these countries to share information about his whereabouts and movements.

The agency sent these reminders to the Interpol coordination agency of the United Kingdom on April 25, May 22, May 24 and May 28.

Similar reminders were also sent to the agencies of the US, Singapore, Belgium, the UAE and France, they said.

The case pertains to cheating the state-run Punjab National Bank through fraudulent issuance of Letters of Undertaking and Foreign Letters of Credit worth over USD 2 billion (about Rs 13,000 crore) by Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, both absconding since the first week of January.

PTI