New Delhi [India], June 11 (NT): Senior Congress Party leader and former finance minister P. Chidambaram on Monday mocked at the Centre and said he was not sure whether efforts were being made to bring billionaire gem jeweler Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi back to India.

"I know of no efforts being made to bring them (Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi) back to India. Our stance has always been the same; they (Centre) allowed the two gentlemen to leave the country. Therefore, I doubt any efforts are being made to bring them back to the country,” Chidambaram said at a press conference to the reporters here.

Answering to a query on India's increase in rating by a number of well-known agencies, Chidambaram responded that the focus should be on the ground situation and not too much into what is being said by the rating agencies.

For those inexperienced, the Punjab National Bank (PNB) spotted the multi-crore scam, wherein Nirav and his uncle Choksi had allegedly embittered the bank to the tune of Rs. 114 billion, with the alleged connection of a few employees of the bank.

On a related note the scam reportedly began in 2011, was detected in the third week of January this year, after which the PNB officials lodged the complaints to the concerned agencies.

There is news earlier in the day in media that the accused diamantaire and gem jeweler is allegedly seeking “Political asylum” in the United Kingdom. (NT)