Nirav is in London, confirms UK

Nirav Modi, the most wanted man in Indian banking circles, is in London and seeking political asylum.

The ground for asylum is "political persecution".

Britain has confirmed Nirav’s presence on its soil, which constrained India to point out that the United Kingdom should not be viewed as a safe haven for wanted criminals of other countries. India's clear message was conveyed to UK Minister of State for Countering Extremism, Baroness Williams, by Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju at a meeting here.

The MoS conveyed to Williams that while India respects the judiciary and will pursue legal procedures in Britain to bring back wanted men, New Delhi expects the cooperation of the UK government.

Allaying concerns over prison conditions in India, Rijiju said there are absolute safeguards against human rights violations in Indian prisons, the statement said.

Earlier, the Financial Times reported that Nirav Modi is in London, where his company has one store; also, ‘‘he is trying to claim asylum from what he said was political persecution,"

Nirav was criss-crossing the continents, even as the bankers were baying for his arrest. It was initially reported that he had gone to the United Arab Emirates from Mumbai; from there, he moved to Hong Kong in the third week of March. He then fled to London and subsequently to New York. But, now he is back in London trying to claim asylum. That makes Nirav the third Indian fugitive after liquor baron Vijay Mallya and former IPL chairman Lalit Modi to make the beeline for London.