Nirav Modi, the Punjab National Bank fraud case accused, had applied for citizenship of Vanuatu, a South Pacific Ocean nation located close to Australia.
However, the Vanuatuan authorities turned down the request and intimated the Indian authorities, according to the Enforcement Directorate sources.
Vanuatu has a population of about 2.5 lakh people. “Mr. Nirav Modi attempted to get the citizenship of Vanuatu. But, his application -- submitted in December 2017 -- was rejected. A week ago, we were informed about it,” said a senior official on condition of anonymity.
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Indian agencies have also found out that after the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate registered cases against Mr. Nirav Modi and others, he made 12 employees operating from Dubai and Hong Kong shift to Cairo, in the name of lucrative prospects.
“The employees had been made dummy directors in the shell companies controlled by him abroad,” the official said.
Over a period of time, 11 employees managed to fly out of Cairo. The ED has recorded the statements of nine, while two are now said to be in Dubai.
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