London: Interpol has issued a Red Corner notice against Ami Modi, wife of absconding diamond merchant Nirav Modi.
A Red Corner notice is a request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual for extradition.
Ami is wanted in connection with money laundering cases registered against her in India. She was last seen in the United States sometime in 2019.
Nirav is currently fighting extradition after being arrested in the United Kingdom.
In February 2019, the Enforcement Directorate had named Ami Modi as being the alleged beneficiary in the $30 million purchase of two apartments in New York City.
The two apartments were part of Nirav Modi’s foreign properties seized in Octorber. The total value of the sized foreign properties is estimated to be ₹637 crore, including a flat in London worth ₹56.97 crore.
Red Corner notices have also been served against Nirav Modi, his brother Nehal (a Belgian citizen) and his sister Purvi.
His uncle, Mehul Choksi (60), is an accused in the scam involving fake guarantees in the name of state-run Punjab National Bank to secure overseas loans.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleged that funds worth ₹6,498.20 crore were swindled off by Nirav Modi and ₹7,080.86 crore were allegedly siphoned by Mehul Choksi.
Mehul is currently in the Caribbean island of Antigua and is a citizen of that country. He claims health reasons for not returning to India. Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne, in 2019, said that Mehul’s citizenship will be revoked after his legal options are exhausted.
