PNB fraud: CBI seals Nirav Modi’s farmhouse

In a spot: Vipul Ambani, left, and other accused leaving a CBI Court, in Mumbai on Wednesday.

The CBI sealed a farmhouse of fraud accused Nirav Modi in Alibaug on Wednesday.

“The farmhouse on 1.5 acres includes a 12,000-sq.ft bungalow, which has five bedrooms and a swimming pool. It is registered in Mr. Modi’s name,” a CBI officer said.

The CBI had earlier sealed a house in Worli in the name of Mr. Modi’s wife, Ami. Some more properties are likely to be sealed in the days to come, sources said.

The CBI is also questioning several senior officials of the Modi Group and the PNB.

While five arrests were made on Tuesday and three were made earlier, CBI officers said that a few more arrests could be made this week.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate’s searches of properties belonging to the Modis and Choksis in 17 locations across the country continued on Wednesday. “Four of these locations were in Mumbai and huge seizures have been made. The value of the seizures is being calculated,” an ED officer said.

Independent evaluators

The ED has also engaged independent evaluators to verify the value of the assets seized so far, and the evaluation is expected to end by next week.

“We suspect that the value of the diamonds and other precious stones seized in our searches might not actually be as much as it has been claimed. Modi has in the past faced cases of falsifying the value of his goods, and we are finding out whether the same was done on a larger scale,” the officer said.