UK delegation visits Tihar Jail as India seeks extradition of Mallya, Nirav Modi

UK team inspects Tihar Jail amid India’s extradition push for Mallya, Nirav Modi.

New Delhi – A delegation from the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recently inspected Tihar Jail in Delhi as part of ongoing discussions over the extradition of high-profile fugitives, including Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.

According to prison officials, the CPS team visited Jail No. 4, which houses first-time offenders and certain high-security inmates. The delegation interacted with prisoners and assessed infrastructure, security, and living conditions, ANI reported.

The visit follows concerns raised earlier by British courts about conditions in Indian prisons while hearing extradition cases. In response, the Indian government has assured that any extradited individual will be kept in safe, lawful conditions, with no risk of illegal interrogation or mistreatment. Officials also indicated that a dedicated high-security enclave could be created within Tihar to house sensitive prisoners separately from the general population.

India currently has 178 pending extradition requests, about 20 of which involve fugitives in the UK. These cases include financial frauds, arms deals, and links to Khalistani networks.

Among the most prominent names are liquor baron Vijay Mallya, accused of defaulting on loans exceeding ₹9,000 crore, and jeweller Nirav Modi, wanted in the ₹13,800 crore Punjab National Bank scam. Mallya remains in London despite losing legal challenges, while Nirav Modi’s extradition has already been cleared by a UK court.

Indian officials, including Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, have reiterated that New Delhi is working closely with London to bring back wanted fugitives at the earliest.