PNB fraud | On ED's request, Ministry of External Affairs suspends passports of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi for 4 weeks

In a huge setback to PNB banking scam prime accused Nirav Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday suspended his passport for four weeks.

The move came on the advice of the Enforcement Directorate. Apart from the designer diamond jeweller, the authorities have also suspended the passport of Mehul Choksi.

The foreign ministry suspended the validity of their passports with immediate effect for a period of four weeks under Section 10(A) of the Passports Act 1967.

Both Modi and Choksi have been asked to respond within one week as to why their passports should not be impounded or revoked under Section 10 (3) (c) of the Passports Act 1967.

If they fail to respond within the stipulated time it will be assumed that they have no response to offer and the Ministry of External Affairs will go ahead with the revocation.

The CBI and the ED yesterday moved separate applications to the external affairs ministry seeking the revocation Nirav Modi's passport as well as that of his maternal uncle and his business partner Mehul Choksi, the promoter of Gitanjali jewellery chain. Both are accused in the Rs 280 crore bank fraud case.