PNB scam: Nirav Modi sole culprit, says wife of accused Firestar official

Wife of one of the officials of Firestar group arrested in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) - Nirav Modi fraud case, has cried foul at his arrest, alleging that the celebrity jeweller is the sole culprit behind the scam.

"My husband has been working there for 10 years; he also does paperwork like the others. Nirav Modi is responsible for all this, bring him in front of me if he comes, I'll thrash him with my slippers," Sujata Patil, wife of accused Arjun Patil, senior executive, Firestar group, told ANI.

Patil, along with three other accused has been sent to police custody till March 5.

Nirav Modi's Firestar Diamond President Vipul Ambani is also one of the detainees sent to police custody.

The PNB detected a 1.77 billion dollar (Rs 11,400) scam, in which jeweller Nirav Modi acquired fraudulent letters of undertaking from one of its branches for overseas credit from other Indian lenders.

The scam started in 2011 and was detected in the third week of January this year, after which the PNB officials reported it to the concerned agencies.

Security agencies have been cracking down on the properties of Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, but have been clueless about their whereabouts ever since the scam unfolded.