India submits Nirav extradition request to UK

"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 USD 2 billion loan fraud scam at Punjab National Bank, to the UK Central Authority, according to official sources here.

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".

Official sources in London confirmed that the documents had soon after been submitted to UKCA this week, setting the extradition process in motion. India falls under the Category 2 set of countries within the UK's Extradition Act 2003, which require a decision by UK courts as well as the country's home secretary.

According to information available in the UK, Modi arrived in London earlier this year on an Indian passport. The UK government was informed about the revocation of that particular passport via a formal Note Verbale from the Indian authorities on February 19, following which the UK Home Office indicated that the businessman had already entered the UK on that travel document but there was no record of him exiting the country.

It later emerged that the 47-year-old was able to travel in and out of Britain at least four times since his passport was cancelled by the Indian authorities in February, having visited the UK, France and Belgium among some of the countries in the past few months.