Nirav Modi, the fugitive diamantaire, wanted for his involvement in the Punjab National Bank scam case, was spotted in London last week.
He was caught by the UK news publishers Daily Telegraph who asked him questions about his stay in the country for which he replied "No comment."
So how did Nirav Modi manage to enter the UK?
According to a report by the Times of India, Nirav Modi was admitted into the United Kingdom on a 'golden visa' or a tier 1 visa. This visa is given to those outside the European Union who promise to invest at least two million pounds in the UK government. This could be in the form of setting up businesses or even investing shares of a company in the country.
One of the conditions for the visa is to invest the money over a period of five years and at the end, the person will receive permanent residence in the country. If the person completes the investment before the five year period, he or she will receive the PR earlier.
The visa was issued to Nirav Modi's Indian passport before it was declared invalid by the Indian government. Nirav Modi was on the run from the Indian government since January 2018 and he was declared as an economic offender by the Enforcement Directorate. He was later given a red corner notice by the Interpol in November 2018.
Nirav Modi first travelled to New York where he was spotted in a luxury hotel. From there, he flew to London. According to reports, Nirav Modi is also said to have visited Belgium between February and November of last year seeking asylum. It is not known if he received it or not.
However, the application for asylum was moot, since Nirav Modi's visa was revoked by the Indian government and now he cannot leave the United Kingdom. Even though he doesn't have his passport, Nirav Modi can still stay in the United Kingdom on the golden visa since it does not require the passport.
The only condition for the visa is the investment which Nirav Modi is running under the name "Diamond Holdings", jewellery business. According to the company's papers, it was set up on May 24, 2018, and is said to do business in the wholesale of water and jewellery. The company is registered to the address - 4th floor Scottish Provident House, 76/80 college road, Harrow HA1 1BQ, reports TOI.
