UK court extends fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi's remand till May 24

Modi's bail was rejected by Chief Magistrate Arbuthnot on March 29 on the grounds that there was a "substantial risk he would fail to surrender"

Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi was Friday further remanded into custody till May 24 by a UK court hearing his extradition case in the $1-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case.

The 48-year-old, who has been behind bars at Wandsworth prison in south-west London since his arrest last month, appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot via videolink from the jail.

Dressed in a beige and black sweater and looking slightly less dishevelled than his last appearance in person before the court in March, Modi spoke only to confirm his name.

"Mr Modi, you will