New Delhi, January 4: Enforcement Directorate(ED) on Friday has taken a major action against absconding diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi, who is alleged kingpin behind the USD 2 billion fraud at Punjab National Bank. ED has provisionally attached a factory premise of Choksi which is worth Rs 13.14 Crore in Thailand under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The factory premise is owned by Abbeycrest (Thailand) Limited which is a company of Gitanjali Group. PNB Scam: Interpol Issues Red Corner Notice Against Mehul Choksi, on Request of CBI.

In December, Mehul Choksi told ED officials that he can't make a 41-hour trip to India due to bad health. He had also expressed his willingness to join the investigation through video conferencing. He also accused ED of misleading the probe by not revealing his health condition. Mehul Choksi Given ‘Police Clearance Certificate’ As No Criminal Antecedents Were Found Against Him: Mumbai Police.

Earlier last week, British authorities had informed to India that Nirav Modi, his nephew, is living in the UK. Replying to a question Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Vijay Kumar Singh said, "In August 2018, the government sent two requests, one from the CBI and the other from the Enforcement Directorate, to the authorities of the UK seeking the extradition of Nirav Modi to India."

ED in November last year attached 11 properties of Nirav Modi in Dubai which is worth Rs 56 crore. In October, the investigating agencies had sealed properties of Modi and his family members worth Rs 637 crore which included two apartments in New York's Central Park. Modi and his Uncle, Mehul Choksi are the alleged kingpins behind the Rs 13,000 crore fraud at Punjab National Bank.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 04, 2019 05:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).