New Delhi: A lookout notice was issued by the CBI against jeweler Nirav Modi and his associates last month in the banking fraud case, but by then they had escaped from India, CBI sources said on Thursday.

According to the sources, a Look Out Circular was issued against Modi along with his wife Ami, brother Nishal Modi and Mehul Choksi in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case on January 31.

The circular was issued to all airports, ports and exit points to stop them from escaping. However, according to the sources, Modi and his associates fled the country before the notices were issued.

While Nirav and his brother Nishal left India on January 1, his wife Ami, a US citizen, and Choksi went on January 6, all before the CBI received a complaint from the PNB on January 29.

The source added that around 150 Letters of Understanding were issued to Nirav Modi's firms by the PNB. In the course of the probe, the CBI has finished imaging computers seized during searches at Modi's properties on February 3, 4 and 21.

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Mumbai: The stage is set for the high-stakes Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections, as the results will start trickling in from 8 am.

In Maharashtra, the 288-seat assembly contest pitted the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance against the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) group, is eyeing a commanding victory, as suggested by most exit polls. The MVA alliance—comprising the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar’s NCP is trying to reclaim the state.

Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the contest for the 81-seat assembly sees the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led INDIA bloc vying for a second term against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA. Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s JMM, along with allies Congress and RJD, faces a stiff challenge from the BJP, AJSU, and smaller partners. With exit polls giving mixed predictions, ranging from an NDA edge to a potential hung assembly.

Additionally, bypoll results in 15 assembly constituencies across states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand will also be announced today.