Podcasts Chart Rise and Fall of Nirav Modi

(IDEX Online) - A new four-part podcast charts the spectacular rise and dramatic fall of billionaire Nirav Modi and his Firestar Diamond empire.

It's presented by Mick Brown and Robert Mendick, journalists at The Telegraph in the UK, who say they tracked down the fugitive diamantaire in London in March 2019, after he'd spent more than a year on the run.

Modi, aged 55, Nirav Modi is accused of being a key figure in the $1.8 billion Punjab National Bank fraud case, along with money-laundering and related offences.

He has remained in custody since his arrest in 2019. He has so far resisted attempts to extradite him to stand trial in India, although he has all but run out of legal challenges.

"Billionaire Nirav Modi dazzled the world of high-end jewellery when he launched his luxury diamond store on London's Old Bond Street in 2016," says The Telegraph in promotional material for The Diamond King podcast series.

"But by 2018, Modi was on the run, accused of one of the world's biggest bank frauds, worth billions of pounds.

"Was he the greatest jeweller since Charles Lewis Tiffany, or one of the greatest conmen of the last century?"

The first episode, All That Glitters, tells how a "fresh-faced newcomer" launched himself into the luxury world of high-end jewelry and opened stores on the most prestigious shopping streets in New York, London, Macau and Hong Kong

"But there's something about him that leaves those around him feeling unsettled; and then, the questions start - where are the billions coming from?"

The Diamond King is available on YouTube, Spotify and other podcast platforms.