Nirav Modi extradition: CBI team likely to leave for London
New Delhi: A CBI team is likely to leave for London to assist local authorities in the extradition case of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi whose bail plea will come for hearing before a court there on Friday, officials said.
A Joint Director-level officer has been deputed to leave for London Wednesday with necessary documents, they said.
The 48-year old diamantaire is accused of swindling over 2 billion USD from state-run Punjab National Bank in collusion with his uncle Mehul Choksi.
He was spotted living in an upscale locality in London by the UK-based newspaper The Telegraph.
Nirav Modi was later arrested on the basis of the extradition request of India and a Red Corner notice issued against him on the request of the CBI last year.
He was produced before the Westminster Magistrates' Court last week, wherein he contested his extradition to India.
District Judge Marie Mallon denied bail to Modi and remanded him in custody till March 29, saying there was substantial grounds to believe that he would fail to surrender if granted bail.
UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid had certified India's extradition request for the fugitive diamantaire earlier this month, triggering the legal process kick-started with the issuance of a warrant.
The news of the certification of India's request came after Modi was tracked down to a three-bedroom flat in the Centre Point tower block of luxury apartments in West End of London.
He is believed to have arrived in London last year and was able to travel in and out of Britain at least four times since his passport was cancelled by the Indian authorities in February 2018.
Modi was also reportedly living in the heart of the city above his jewellery boutique Nirav Modi on Old Bond Street, which has since closed down.
He is now believed to be running a new business which describes itself on the UK's Companies House register as a wholesale trader and retailer of watches and jewellery in specialised stores.
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India-bound LPG tanker clears Hormuz
New Delhi (PTI): A tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for India has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz and is now headed towards the country, an official statement said on Sunday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged LPG carrier MT Sarv Shakti, loaded with 46,313 tonnes of LPG and staffed by 20 crew, including 18 Indians, cleared the key shipping chokepoint on May 2 and is expected to reach Visakhapatnam on May 13, it said.
The cargo -- enough to meet half a days requirement of the country -- will partly tide over supply constraints being faced since the start of the West Asia conflict more than two months back.
Ship-tracking data showed its position in Oman Gulf on Sunday evening.
The very large gas carrier has previously made runs between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports, has been chartered by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Sarv Shakti is the first India-linked tanker to cross the war zone since a weeks-old US blockade of ships tied to Iran began, pushing transits through Hormuz back down to almost zero.
There are as many as 14 Indian flagged or India-owned vessels still stranded on the west side of the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement said no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure crew welfare and uninterrupted operations.
The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) control room has handled 8,373 calls and more than 17,965 emails since activation, including 38 calls and 127 emails in the last 24 hours.
India has also facilitated the repatriation of more than 2,953 seafarers so far, including 31 in the past day from across the Gulf region.
Port operations across the country remain normal with no congestion reported, the statement added.
