JOIN USFour Swiss bank accounts of diamantaire Nirav Modi, who fled India after the over Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank fraud case surfaced, and his sister have been "frozen" by Switzerland authorities, officials said here on Thursday.
The accounts have deposits of around Rs 283.16 crore and have been frozen on the request of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), they said.
The freezing of accounts came after the ED informed Switzerland authorities that the money kept in them are "proceeds of crime" of the bank fraud.
Officials said the ED request to the Swiss authorities was made some time back. An official request under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was sent.
The accounts of Nirav, the diamantaire under arrest in this case in London, have deposits of USD 3,74,11,596 while the accounts in the name of his sister Purvi Modi has deposits of GBP 27,38,136. In Indian currency, it is around Rs 283.16 crore, officials said.
The ED is now likely to swiftly move to attach these bank accounts.
Nirav had left India last January, days before the CBI registered a case against him, his wife, brother and uncle in the scam. The ED also registered a case and Purvi was named as an accused by the ED in its chargesheet filed before a Mumbai court.