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Camera: Shiv Kumar Muarya
Video Editor: Mohammad Ibrahim
Remember the big headline from February 2018 – ‘Scamster Nirav Modi’s Passport Cancelled’?
It was thought to mean that Modi, who had been named in the Rs 13400-crore Punjab National Bank scam, wouldn’t be able to travel on an Indian passport. This in turn was thought to mean that he would be caught soon. His properties were raided, investigative agencies were hot on his trail, assets worth millions were seized.
We believed that Nirav Modi had messed with a tough government. He was done for.
Five months later, a look at the headlines reveals that the man is still travelling on an Indian passport. It is unknown how many passports he has – one, two, six?
Perhaps new passports were issued, but the old ones not revoked. Maybe the Interpol kept waiting for the filing of a chargesheet and did not issue a Red Corner Notice.
It’s now being said Modi might have obtained the citizenship of another country. He might never be apprehended by Indian authorities.
The results of the raids on his properties also failed to yield expected results. The actual worth of the assets seized was not even 10 percent of the value estimated earlier.
The crux of the matter is that Modi seems to have fled forever. All efforts went in vain. The suspect fled and crores were siphoned off.
Punjab National Bank (PNB) , which was scammed by Nirav Modi, published an internal investigative report. Some things that came out in the report are:
Kudos to our strong banking system and super-alert investigative agencies.
Should we accept that Nirav Modi has fooled everyone and fled?
I still have some questions:
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)