PNB case: Nirav Modi's brother held in US on India's extradition request

Nehal Modi, the brother of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi and key conspirator in the ₹6,498 crore Punjab National Bank loan fraud case, has been arrested in the US on an extradition request from Indian agencies, marking what officials described as a significant development in the case.

- Neeraj Chauhan

The Belgian citizen, 46, was arrested by US authorities on Friday, just a day after completing a prison sentence in New York for a separate $2.6 million diamond fraud case.

With Nehal Modi's arrest, all three principal accused in the PNB loan fraud are now in custody across different countries. Nirav Modi remains lodged in a UK prison facing extradition, while Mehul Choksi was taken into custody in Antwerp, Belgium, in April this year.

"The United States Department of Justice informed us that Nehal Modi has been arrested on July 4, based on our extradition request from both CBI and ED," said an Enforcement Directorate officer who requested anonymity. "It's significant because all three key perpetrators of the PNB scam are now lodged in prisons based on efforts and prosecutable evidence provided by Indian agencies."