A high-level team comprised of officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), and National Investigation Agency (NIA) is set to visit the United Kingdom soon. The aim of this joint mission is to expedite the extradition process of some of India’s most wanted fugitives, including defense dealer Sanjay Bhandari, diamond trader Nirav Modi, and Kingfisher Airlines promoter Vijay Mallya. The team will also engage in bilateral discussions with UK authorities regarding the exchange of information under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT). As signatories to the MLAT, both India and the UK are obligated to share information on criminal investigations involving economic offenders and other individuals.
While the Union Home Ministry is usually the designated authority for MLAT matters, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is actively involved in this case, as requests are channeled through the MEA for foreign countries. It is expected that a senior officer from the MEA will accompany the team during their meeting with UK authorities, which will be organized in close supervision of the Indian High Commission in London.
The joint team is scheduled to depart sometime this month, provided all goes according to plan. In addition to expediting the extradition process, the team aims to obtain crucial information about the fugitives’ assets in London, including details about their banking transactions. Officers involved in the case have stated that efforts are underway to identify the individuals’ properties in the UK and other countries in order to seize the proceeds of their criminal activities.
The extradition cases of Sanjay Bhandari, Nirav Modi, and Vijay Mallya are currently pending resolution in the UK, as they have appealed in higher courts against their deportation to India. The ED has already seized their assets in India, leading to the recovery of significant funds from the sale of Mallya and Modi’s assets. These recovered funds, amounting to thousands of crores, were then returned to banks to settle their outstanding dues.
Sanjay Bhandari, an arms dealer who fled in 2016 following investigations by the income tax and the ED into various defense deals during the UPA regime, is known to have close ties with Robert Vadra, the husband of Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi. According to the ED, Bhandari acquired properties in London and Dubai, subsequently transferring them to shell companies overseen by CC Thampi, an alleged associate of Vadra.
Similarly, Nirav Modi is facing allegations in a fraud case involving Punjab National Bank funds exceeding Rs 6,500 crore, while Vijay Mallya’s assets, valued at over Rs 5,000 crore, have been attached and seized due to his fraudulent activities with banks. The ED is investigating Bhandari, Thampi, and Vadra for alleged payoffs received in various defense deals. Bhandari’s properties in India, totaling over Rs 26 crore, have been attached, and charges have been filed against him. Just like Mallya and Modi, a special court has declared Bhandari as a fugitive economic offender.
The upcoming visit of the joint CBI-ED-NIA team to the UK marks a significant step in the process of extraditing India’s key fugitives. With the cooperation of UK authorities and the sharing of crucial information, the hope is to bring these fugitives back to India to face justice for their alleged crimes.
