The Enforcement Directorate has sought issuance of Interpol Red Notice against diamond merchants Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in connection with the ₹13,578-crore Punjab National Bank scam.
The agency has already got non-bailable warrants issued against the two accused from a Mumbai court. The Directorate had earlier issued multiple summonses to them to join the probe, but they expressed inability to appear in person citing various reasons.
The ED has attached properties worth more than ₹7,000 crore in connection with the cases registered against the accused persons and their associates.
The agency is understood to have sent the request to the CBI for taking it up with the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France.
An RCN is issued to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action in a criminal case probe.
Once an RCN is issued, the Interpol (international police) seeks to arrest the person concerned in any part of the world and notifies that country to take his or her custody for further action at their end.
The ED had earlier issued summonses to Mr. Nirav Modi and Mr. Choksi — the key accused in the scam — asking them to appear before it in Mumbai. However, both of them expressed their inability to depose citing business engagements.
Both are accused on charges of money laundering (under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act) in alleged connivance with some employees of PNB and have been stated by probe agencies to have left India before criminal charges were pressed against them.
The CBI too is probing the case.
(With inputs from PTI)
