PNB scam: Interpol says Mehul Choksi not in US as ED hunts for Nirav Modi in Singapore

New Delhi, July 16: In what can be called as a setback for the Indian agencies in the ongoing probe in PNB fraud case, the Interpol has reportedly said that fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi, the uncle of Nirav Modi, is not in the United States.

Meanwhile, an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team has reached Singapore to track down Nirav Modi, against whom the Interpol has issued a red corner notice, said reports.

Millionare jewelry designer Nirav Modi and owner of Gitanjali Gems, Mehul Choksi have been accused of defrauding the PNB of Rs 12,600 crore, with Rs 1,300 being added to the fraud kitty.

Choksi and Nirav Modi are wanted by multiple investigating agencies after state-owned PNB complained against their companies, saying it had been cheated of Rs 13,600 crore through fraudulent issue of LoUs and FLCs. Both left India in January, a few weeks before the scam came to light. It was earlier reported that Choksi could be residing in the US.

The Interpol had earlier issued a red corner notice against Nirav Modi. With the notice being issued, it would restrict the moves of the accused who has been moving from one country to another. The notice was issued on the request made by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The Interpol accepted the request made by the CBI which had said that he is wanted in several cases and hence needs to be brought down to India.

It may be recalled that the CBI had issued a diffusion notice through the Interpol against Modi and Choski on February 15. The diffusion notice helps ascertain the location of an absconder. The location of the absconder is shared with the Interpol's member countries.

According to the officials, as Nirav Modi has been continuously changing his location across the globe, the extradition request has been hence made to multiple countries as part of its mandate under criminal provisions of the anti-money laundering Act.