Absconding billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi is understood to have jumped on a plane and fled to Brussels on Tuesday or Wednesday, immediately after front-page reports in the media that he was in London seeking political asylum and that the Indian high commission was awaiting formal confirmation of his presence from the British government.
The report mentions that there has been no movement detected on his Indian passport since March 31, signifying that he is not using it. The Indian government cannot do much if he is travelling on his Singapore passport, as the non-bailable warrant is against his Indian passport. In that case, as the report mentions, the Indian government will have to put pressure on the Singapore government.
On Monday, the CBI had requested Interpol for a red corner notice against Nirav Modi and his brother Nishal, a Belgian national. On Tuesday, a special court in Mumbai had issued a non-bailable warrant against the diamantaire and his family members. “He travelled to Brussels on Tuesday or Wednesday, straight after the story revealing he was in Mayfair,” a source close to the Indian government said.
Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi fled the country in the first week of January along with some family members, nearly a fortnight before PNB detected the Rs 13,000 crore fraud. Indian probe agencies served multiple summonses to the duo to appear before them for investigation. However, they refused to join the probe citing business engagements and health issues.
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