(PTI)
A Blue Corner notice was issued on Wednesday against diamond jeweller Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi of Gitanjali Group in connection with the Rs 12,600-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, an official said. An Income Tax department official said the Blue Corner notice — to locate, identify or obtain information on a person of interest in a criminal investigation — was issued by the Bureau of Immigration against the two which will be valid for a year starting February 22 at all ports of embarkation. The IT official also said that it has attached four more properties of the Nirav Modi group which include his farm house in Alibaug of Maharashtra worth Rs 13 crore and a 5.24MW solar power plant over 135 acres of land in the same state’s Ahmednagar worth Rs 70 crore, as per the books.
The official also revealed that they have attached 34 more bank accounts and fixed deposits of the Gitanjali Group having a balance of Rs 1.45 crore. Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed that it has written to Nirav Modi requesting him to join the investigation. “In reply to the CBI’s mail, the diamond jeweller showing helplessness said that he can’t join the probe as he has some pending business abroad.”
