PNB fraud: US State Department says it cannot confirm whether Nirav Modi is in the country

The United States government on Friday said it was aware of media reports claiming that jeweller Nirav Modi was in the country, but said it was unable to confirm it, PTI reported.

A US State Department spokesperson told the news agency to ask the Department of Justice whether the US was helping Indian authorities in the investigation into Modi. The Department of Justice has declined to comment.

Modi and his uncle



Mehul Choksi are accused of defrauding the Punjab National Bank of Rs 12,703 crore in one of India’s largest bank scams. The bank had initially said the amount was around Rs 11,380, but it revealed additional fraud of Rs 1,323 crore in a stock exchange filing later.

Meanwhile, a US court has passed an interim order preventing creditors from collecting debt from Modi’s Firestar Diamond Inc after it filed for bankruptcy.