Nirav Modi's Firestar Diamond files for bankruptcy in the United States as PNB fraud rises to $2 bn

Firestar Diamond Inc, the flagship company of billionaire Nirav Modi who is at the centre of India’s biggest-ever bank scam, has filed for bankruptcy in the United States. [caption id=“attachment_4359071” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Nirav Modi. The official Nirav Modi website[/caption] The company has listed assets and liabilities in the range of $50 million to $100 million, according to a court filing in the Southern District Of New York on Monday. Indian state-run lender Punjab National Bank had earlier this month unearthed fraudulent transactions at one of its Mumbai branches, the amount of which could now be about $2 billion. Modi, founder of Firestar Diamond, and his uncle Mehul Choksi, who owns Gitanjali Gems Ltd, are suspected of colluding with two employees from Punjab National Bank in the fraud.