UK Court refuses Nirav Modi's application to prevent his extradition to India

New Delhi, June 23: UK Court has rejected the application from fugitive Nirav Modi to prevent his extradition to India. Nirav Modi, accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank (PNB) of more than Rs 14,000 crore, had lodged an appeal in the London high court, last month.

On April 17, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel had signed off on the order to extradite Nirav Modi, wanted in India on fraud and money laundering charges related to the estimated USD 2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case.

He had allegedly perpetrated the fraud in the Punjab National Bank in collusion with his uncle Mehul Choksi.

The CBI had registered the case on January 31, 2018 against Modi, Choksi and others including then officials of Punjab National Bank on a complaint from the Bank on the allegations that the accused had hatched a criminal conspiracy amongst themselves to defraud the public sector Bank by fraudulently issuing Letters of Undertaking.

Nirav Modi had escaped from India on January 1, 2018 before registration of case in CBI. A non bailable arrest warrant was issued by the trial court against him followed by a red corner notice in June 2018 by Interpol. He was arrested by the UK Police in London in March 2019 and his repeated applications for bail, were rejected by the Westminster Magistrates' Court and High Court, London.