Interpol’s Red Corner Notice against Nirav Modi in PNB fraud case

The international police organization Interpol on Monday issued a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud accused celebrity jeweller Nirav Modi, who is wanted in India. The red corner notice enables the Interpol to arrest the fugitive after locating him anywhere in the 192 member countries.

The Interpol has listed "money laundering charges," levelled by Enforcement Directorate (ED), in the RCN issued against Modi.

Modi, along with his uncle Mehul Choksi and others, is the prime accused of the worth over Rs 13,500 crore PNB bank fraud case.

The notice came days after India wrote to several European countries seeking assistance in locating the fugitive jeweller. Earlier in June, the Interpol had informed the Indian authorities that Modi had been travelling on a revoked passport since March.

The CBI had tried to track the movements of the 'fraudster' 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.

Investigating agencies have also started the process of the 47-year-old diamantaire's extradition from the UK after a special court in Mumbai gave its nod last week.

Nirav Modi, his uncle Mehul Choksi and other members of the family are absconding since the January 2018, when the PNB bank detected the fraud.

Days before the bank announced the news that it was hit by a fraud, Nirav was seen in a picture with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. the photo was clicked during the 2018 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, held from January 23 to January 26 in Davos, Switzerland.