A UK court on Friday rejected the bail application of fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi who will now remain in custody till May 24.
This is the third time that Nirav’s plea for bail has been rejected. Previously, on March 20, during Nirav’s first hearing, the District Judge Marie Mallon denied him bail and he is in the custody since then. He was arrested by Scotland Yard officers from a central London bank branch on March 19.
Nirav’s defence team has been working overtime to secure his release, including referring to his pet dog. All efforts have so far been in vain.
On Friday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian authorities, once again stressed that Nirav posed a significant flight risk and was also likely to further intimidate witnesses and destroy evidence if he were released.
The prime accused in the 2 billion (Rs 13,500 crore) PNB fraud case, 48-year-old Nirav will remain at the Wandsworth prison in south-west London, considered one of UK’s most notorious jails.
