London: Fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi faces substantial risk of suicide amid heavy COVID-19 impact at Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, where he will be kept if he is extradited, the High Court in London heard an extradition appeal on Wednesday. told during
During the hearing of the renewal application before Justice Martin Chamberlain, lawyers for the 50-year-old diamantaire sought to establish grounds for a full hearing of the High Court’s appeal, claiming that extraditing him because of his mental state would be repressive that could lead to suicide. There may be convulsions, PTI reported.
The UK High Court had earlier last month rejected Nirav Modi’s application to appeal against extradition to India.
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Nirav Modi, who is one of the prime accused in the Rs 13,500-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam in India, in his application had challenged the extradition order issued against him by the Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
He has been lodged in London’s Wandsworth Prison since his arrest on March 19, 2019.
The CBI is primarily probing the case of Nirav Modi, who has been accused of criminal conspiracy, cheating, money laundering and fraud in the PNB scam case in India.
Besides the CBI, Nirav Modi is also facing probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for fraudulently obtaining loan agreements with PNB on a large scale.
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ED has attached properties worth crores of Nirav Modi in India in connection with the case.
Nirav Modi’s uncle Mehul Choksi, who was also accused in connection with the PNB scam, is currently in custody for illegal entry into Dominica. The fugitive businessman allegedly carried out these frauds with the connivance of his uncle.
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