Nirav Modi Planned Plastic Surgery to Evade Arrest: Reports

New Delhi, March 21: Fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, who has been dodging an international manhunt for 15 months, was finally arrested in London and in connection with a Rs 13,500 crore PNB cheating case. A UK court on Wednesday sent Nirav Modi to police custody till March 29 after denying him bail. In his bid to evade arrest, Nirav Modi tried everything from applying for citizenship of different countries to planning for plastic surgery.

Nirav Modi had applied for citizenship of Vanuatu, a small Pacific island nation 1,750 kms east of Australia and sought permanent residence in Singapore, reports TOI. Besides, reports also said he was even planning a plastic surgery to change his appearance. In London, Nirav Modi consulted big law firms to obtain a safe haven in a third country. He left India days before the PNB scam came to light in January 2018. Teller Tipped Off Police When Nirav Modi Went to Open Bank Account.

Nirav Modi's arrest came days after a London court issued an arrest warrant against him in response to a request by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for his extradition in a money laundering case. After his arrest in London, the Ministry of External Affairs said India continues to actively follow up the matter with British authorities concerned to extradite him at the earliest. PNB Scam: Enforcement Directorate Files Fresh Charge Sheet Against Nirav Modi.

"With a view to have Nirav Modi extradited to India at the earliest, the Government of India continues to actively follow up this matter with the authorities concerned in the UK," an official spokesperson said in response to media queries regarding the arrest of Nirav Modi who is accused of syphoning off about Rs 13,000 crore from Punjab National Bank (PNB) using Letters of Undertaking (LoU) in collusion with his uncle Mehul Choski.

The CBI registered an FIR against him on January 31 on the basis of the complaint against him and Choksi from the bank. It was followed by another FIR by the agency against him. Nirav Modi’s brother and wife were also named as accused in the FIR. His wife Ami, a US citizen, brother Nishal, a Belgian, and uncle Choksi, Gitanjali group’s promoter, had also fled the country in the first week of January 2018.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 21, 2019 02:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).