Will the main Indian fugitives be extradited soon? Visit by a combined CBI, ED, and NIA team to speed up the process

According to sources on Tuesday (January 16), a high-level team of representatives from the Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate, and National Investigation Agency would be sent to the UK shortly to hasten the extradition of three of India’s most wanted fugitives: defense dealer Sanjay Bhandari, promoter of Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya, and diamond trader Nirav Modi.

According to sources, the group traveling to London will have bilateral discussions with the UK authorities over the ongoing information exchange that is still pending under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).

Notably, as signatories to MLAT, India and the UK are legally required to exchange information on criminal investigations involving individuals suspected of economic offenses. Currently, the NIA is looking into a number of terror suspects connected to the Khalistani movement.

Even though the Union Home Ministry is the official body for MLAT affairs, in this case the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is actively involved in diplomatic relations with the UK since all requests for foreign nations go via MEA.

An MEA representative will go with
Furthermore, word has it that a senior MEA official would be part of the visiting party when they meet with UK authorities. The Indian High Commission in London will closely oversee the arrangement of the meeting in sessions.

The united team is anticipated to leave this month, if all goes according to plan.

In addition to accelerating the fugitives’ extradition procedure, sources said the team is looking for outstanding information on the assets they acquired in London, including details of their banking activities.

Officers with knowledge of the development said that steps are being conducted to locate fugitives’ homes in the UK and other nations with the goal of seizing the “proceeds of crime.”

Sanjay Bhandari, Nirav Modi, and Mallya have all appealed to higher courts against being deported to India, therefore their extradition cases are still pending in the UK. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has already taken possession of their assets in India. By selling Mallya and Modi’s properties, a substantial sum of money was raised, totaling to hundreds of crores, which were then given back to the banks to pay off outstanding debts.

Robert Vadra’s tight relationship with Bhandari
Bhandari, an arms dealer, is reported to have strong relations to Robert Vadra, the husband of Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi. Bhandari escaped from scrutiny in 2016 after income tax and the Enforcement Directorate looked into multiple defense agreements made under the UPA government.

The ED claims that Bhandari has acquired properties in Dubai and London, which he then transferred to shell firms managed by CC Thampi, a purported acquaintance of Vadra.

But Nirav Modi is accused of fraud involving monies from Punjab National Bank that are worth more than Rs 6,500 crore, while Mallya’s assets—worth more than Rs 5,000 crore—have been attached and confiscated as a result of bank fraud.

Bhandari, Thampi, and Vadra are under investigation by the ED for possible payoffs they got from several defense contracts. Bhandari’s assets in India, valued at more than Rs 26 crore, have been attached by the CBI, which has also filed charges against him. Like in the instances of Mallya and Modi, Bhandari has been proclaimed a fugitive economic offender by a special court.