Nirav Modi extradition request submitted to UK authorities

TIL Desk/Business/London/The Indian High Commission in London has handed over the extradition request documents for fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, wanted in India as a prime accused in the $2 billion loan fraud scam at Punjab National Bank, to the UK Central Authority, according to official sources in London.

The unit within the UK government’s Home Office will now process the request, which falls under mutual legal assistance requests, to assist in criminal investigations or proceedings, before an extradition warrant can be issued against Modi.

The whereabouts of the billionaire jeweller remain unknown, but the Indian government had been informed by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in June that it can initiate extradition proceedings despite the uncertainty.

 In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh had said earlier this week that an extradition request for Modi “has been sent by a Special Diplomatic Bag to the High Commission of India (HCI), London, for onward transmission to the UK authorities”.