New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has attached absconding jeweller Nirav Modi's properties worth Rs 255 cr in Hong Kong under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

"The said valuables were exported through 26 shipments by Dubai based companies of Nirav Modi to the Hong Kong-based companies controlled by him after the registration of the case (PNB money laundering) in India," the ED said.

These valuables, diamonds, and jewellery were lying in a logistics company vault in Hong Kong, the agency said.
"Details like value, consignee, shipper, ownership among others of these shipments were obtained during the investigation and after gathering the evidence of ownership and value of the goods, the same has been attached," it said.

The value of the attached assets is $34.97 million or about Rs 2.55 billion at present, it said.

A court issued order will soon be sent to Hong Kong to formalise the PMLA attachment order, they said.

With this latest order, the total attachment in this case against the absconding diamantaire is about Rs 47.44 billion.

On September 30, the Enforcement Directorate attached assets worth Rs 637 crore of Nirav Modi and his family in India and four other countries in connection with the $2 billion alleged fraud in the Punjab National Bank case.

Also read: Nirav Modi-Mehul Choksi's PNB fraud: ED attaches jewellery, bank accounts worth Rs 637 crore

Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are the main accused in the case where it is alleged that the two diamond jewellery businessmen allegedly duped and defrauded the Brady House branch of the Punjab National Bank in Mumbai for an amount of USD 2 billion (about 13,000 crore) in purported connivance with bank officials.