New Delhi: Two days after the $1.8 bn fraud in Punjab National Bank (PNB) in India broke out, the government on Friday suspended passports of Nirav Modi and Mehul Chinubhai Choksi for four weeks.

‘On the advice of the Enforcement Directorate, the Passport issuing authority in the Ministry of External Affairs has today suspended the validity of passports of Nirav Deepak Modi and Mehul Chinubhai Choksi with immediate effect for a period of four weeks u/s 10(A) of the Passports Act 1967,’ the Ministry of External Affairs said here in a statement.

‘Nirav Deepak Modi and Mehul Chinubhai Choksi have been asked to respond within one week as to why their passports should not be impounded or revoked under Section 10 (3) (c) of the Passports Act 1967. If they fail to respond within the stipulated time it will be assumed that they have no response to offer and the MEA will go ahead with the revocation,’ the statement added.