Mumbai, December 1: Fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, a key accused in the USD 2 billion PNB fraud case, cannot return to India as he is afraid of “getting lynched” and is being compared to demon Ravan, his lawyer told a special court on Saturday, but the ED dismissed the claim saying if he felt there were “security threats”, he should have filed a police complaint.
Nirav Modi’s lawyer Vijay Agarwal stated this while arguing before Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court Judge MS Azmi against the Enforcement Directorate’s application to declare Modi a fugitive under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.
Countering the ED plea, Nirav Modi also said through his lawyer that he had no record or data with him about his finances. Referring to Nirav Modi’s claims of “security threats” in India, the ED said these points are “irrelevant” to the case.
The ED has claimed that Nirav Modi had refused to join the probe despite acknowledging mails and summons issued to him and that he doesn’t want to return to India.
Agarwal, however, said the diamond trader had responded to the emails sent by the investigating agencies and expressed his inability to return due to “security threats”. Unlike liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is accused of a loan default of over Rs 9,000 crore, Modi had no non-performing assets (NPAs) when he left the country, Agarwal argued. — PTI
