Nirav Modi spotted in London: Congress hits out at Centre

Fugitive Billionaire Nirav Modi, wanted in India in an alleged Rs. 13,000 crore bank fraud case, was spotted in London as shown in a two-minute clip of the fugitive diamond trader walking on a street in London’s West End by the British newspaper The Telegraph.

“Modi appears to have adopted a surprisingly nonchalant attitude to his fugitive status, walking his small dog each day between his apartment and the diamond company’s office in a townhouse in Soho, just a few hundred yards from his Centre Point home,” The Telegraph reported.

“Journalists of the @telegraph managed to track down Nirav Modi. Why was the Modi Govt unable to do so? Who is Modi trying to protect? Himself, Nirav Modi or the people who let him escape?” the Congress tweeted.

Taking a dig at BJP’s tagline ‘Modi hai to mumkin hai‘, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala wrote on Twitter that, “Flee with Rs. 23,000 crore from the country without any problem. Then get a picture clicked with the PM and live a luxurious life in London.”

Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are the prime accused in the Punjab National Bank scam. Mr Choksi hold a citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda. Both left India in January last year before the PNB scam broke.

Hitting back at Congress, in a series of tweets, BJP, today reminded the opposition that the bank fraud took place when the Congress government was in power. “The offender was declared a fugitive, assets seized, illegal house blown up, businesses closed. Criminal cases filed, tax evasion, PMLA & Criminal fraud actions being pursued by our agencies,” said the official handle of BJP.

It further tweeted that, “Many of these who cheated India during the UPA govt have been brought back and are in custody. Others will follow. They are living the life of fugitives and refugees. None who cheats India can get away under the Modi government.”