Dubai: On Saturday, Nirav Modi, fugitive billionaire diamond tycoon and India's most wanted man, was tracked down in the UK by the British newspaper, the Telegraph. After the newspaper shared a video of the interaction on their Twitter channel, hashtag #NiravModi was one of the top Twitter trends worldwide today.
Modi fled India last year after becoming a suspect in the Rs 13,500 crore (nearly 1.9 billion US dollars) Punjab National Bank fraud case, the biggest in the country's history. An Interpol red notice was issued on the request of the Indian authorities in July for Modi’s arrest, but he remains at large.
Indian Twitter users took to the micr-blogging site to discuss Modi's response: "No comment", to any question asked by the journalist, his expensive ostrich-hide jacket and his lavish lifestyle.
@ohmygaut: "'Sorry, no comment', says #NiravModi trying to bury his head in the sand. The fact that he was wearing an Ostrich hide jacket is only a strange coincidence!"
Award-winning journalist and Gulf News columnist Swati Chaturved (@bainjal) tweeted: “NIRAV MODI wearing an exotic skin jacket having robbed thousands of crores in his Ponzi scam does not look remotely worried.”
And, @UrbanChe wrote: “There you are my friend in an ostrich hide jacket. Hoping that would help keep you unseen. #ostrich #comebackmodi”
Tweep, @hvgoenka jokingly commented: “The British took away our jewels and not returning them back. Now, the British have taken away our jeweller and not returning him back. #NiravModi #London”
Many others questioned the impunity that Nirav Modi was enjoying.
@AnupamUncl posted: “Nothing is more ridiculous that the peoples who gave thousands crores of loans to #NiravModi are happy to see him in London walking freely.”
And, @soumodiptoroyy tweeted: “#NiravModi is living it up in a posh apartment in London. #VijayMallya lives in a swanky mansion in London. #MehulChoksi is enjoying life in the Caribbean paradise of Antigua. [Under] #Modi sarkar (government), this is the punishment fraudsters get for looting India! #NiravInLondon”
