Enforcement Directorate to begin extradition process against Nirav Modi

The special Enforcement Directorate (ED) court on Tuesday allowed the agency's application to initiate extradition proceedings against fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.

The agency had filed an application after the United Kingdom's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had informed India to initiate the proceedings against him.

An ED official on condition of anonymity said, "We know that the accused is in the UK, thus, we shall begin the extradition process against him in the UK. The main ground of our application was that the accused, in no way, was ready to cooperate with the investigation. He wasn't going to produce himself before the agency and so we decided to approach the court."

According to the UK's government's information, Modi, who is wanted in India for an alleged Rs 13,500 crore PNB fraud, had arrived in London earlier this year on an Indian passport.

A non-bailable warrant was issued against Nirav and 10 other accused, including his family members, in the PNB fraud case. Nirav has allegedly absconded from the country along with his family.

Meanwhile an accused named Saju Parokaran, who is also an accused in the case was granted bail on cash surety of Rs 50 lakh. "The accused was never arrested by the agency as he had co-operated with the investigation. He further had also informed the court that he is ready to face the trial and so he was granted bail by the ED court on Tuesday," the officer added.