New Delhi,
The government today said action by agencies, including the CBI and ED, continued today in the Nirav Modi and Gitanjali Gems fraud case even as the Ministries of External Affairs and Corporate Affairs joined the coordinated efforts of the government.

Official sources said the efforts are to book those responsible for the fraud perpetrating in Punjab National Bank (PNB) since 2011.

The CBI today carried out searches at 32 locations in the Gitanjali Gems case covering five states,which included premises of Gili India and Nakshatra branch.

In addition, two of the persons named in the FIR, Gokulnath Shetty and Manoj Kharat, have been traced and are being interrogated.

The Enforcement Directorate also carried out searches at 35 locations across states. The ED has also issued look out circulars against two Indian nationals.

The Income Tax authorities too have stepped up action against Nirav Modi under the Income Tax Act, 1961 and the Black Money Act. The IT Department has provisionally attached 29 properties by invoking provisions which allow it to attach properties during the pendency of proceedings. These properties belong to Nirav Modi, Ami Modi and various group companies. These are located in the cities of Mumbai, Surat, Delhi and Jaipur. The Ministry of Corproate Affairs has identified about 150 shell companies for investigation.