After numerous reports that absconding fugitive jeweller, Nirav Modi, may be hiding in Hong Kong, investigative agencies have now found that the diamantaire has travelled across West Asia, East Asia, Europe and America within four months.
According to reports the Indian government found that the prime accused in the Rs 13,700 crore Punjab National Bank fraud, escaped the country by taking a flight from Mumbai to UAE in January. In the third week of March, Modi left for Hong Kong, where he had many boutiques. When the government approached the Hong Kong authorities for his arrest, Modi fled to London, and finally to the US. His last known location was New York. Nirav Modi was seen around the city’s Loews Regency hotel.
The PNB scam came to light when CBI filed its first FIR on February 14. Interestingly, the same day Modi left Hong Kong for British capital London. After landing at Heathrow on February 15, Modi is believed to have stayed there for a month. He reportedly stayed in an apartment close to Four Seasons Hotel.
It is suspected that Nirav Modi is having a Belgian passport in addition to his Indian passport.
In a written response on Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi’s whereabouts in Rajya Sabha earlier this month, Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs VK Singh had said: “The ministry has sought the provisional arrest of Nirav Deepak Modi by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Peoples Republic of China, for which a request has been submitted to them on March 23, 2018.”