A special CBI court in Mumbai on Monday rejected a petition filed by Purvi Modi, sister of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi. She had requested permission to record her statement through video conferencing in the multi-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case. Special CBI Court Judge Subash Karhale rejected her request.
Purvi Modi Seeks to Become Approver
Purvi Modi, who is a Belgian citizen and Nirav Modi’s younger sister, has already filed an application before the CBI court seeking to become an approver in the case. The CBI had earlier said that her statement must be recorded before her request to become an approver can be considered.
Her lawyer had asked the court to allow her to give the statement through video conferencing. However, the court did not accept the request.
Nirav Modi is a Key Accused
Nirav Modi is currently lodged in a jail in London and is a key accused in the 2018 PNB fraud case. Purvi Modi was also named as an accused in the alleged bank fraud case, in which the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) have filed several chargesheets.
Purvi and Husband Turned Approvers in ED Case
Purvi Modi and her husband Maiank Mehta have already turned approvers in a related money laundering case being investigated by the ED.
PNB Fraud Case
The ED has been investigating Nirav Modi, his uncle Mehul Choksi and others since 2018 over alleged money laundering linked to the PNB fraud. The case involves an alleged fraud of more than $2 billion, which was worth over Rs 13,000 crore at that time.
The alleged fraud involved bank officials and the issuance of fraudulent Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) from the Brady House branch of Punjab National Bank in south Mumbai.
