Regional English-language news outlet Asia Times is reporting that Malaysia’s most notorious wanted man, the fugitive former drinking buddy of Paris Hilton, Jho Low, traveled to Ahmedabad, India recently.
The portal reported that law enforcement sources revealed to them that the alleged 1MDB fraudster spent three days there, and that during his stay in the northwestern city, Low’s movements were monitored by local police. However, authorities stopped short of arresting him, despite an Interpol warrant out for his arrest.
Authorities reported that Low left Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel International Airport on Nov. 5 aboard a private jet bearing the tail number HS-VNT. According to unnamed sources, the Gulfstream G200 was chartered from a Thailand-based enterprise called MJets, and was traveling to Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport.
However, a spokesperson for MJets denied that Low was aboard the flight, calling the statement “untrue, unfounded and unsubstantiated.”
Low’s whereabouts continue to be a matter of much discussion and speculation, with many claiming that the fugitive has been hiding in several countries, including (and most popularly) China, with the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and his former citizenship-for-investment home, St. Kitts and Nevis, also among his rumored redoubts.
No definitive proof of his movements has ever been published, with alleged sightings only leaked to media after the fact.
Last week, a Cypriot newspaper released an investigative report showing that Low had been granted citizenship in the small eastern Mediterranean nation in 2015 via their passport-by-investment scheme. Cyrpus’ president has since said that the country plans to revoke two dozen passports from unsavory individuals who are no longer welcome on the island, with sources claiming Low is among them.
It is unclear what papers the fugitive will travel on if his Cypriot passport is canceled. His Malaysian passport has already been canceled, as were his other travel documents reportedly procured from St. Kitts and Nevis.
Asia Times reports that the wanted man manages to avoid the indignities of immigration queues and prying eyes by traveling on private planes, using VIP lounges and services that allow for him to travel through temporary passport checkpoints.
It’s unclear why Low went to Ahmedabad, but if you’re wondering why India took no action to arrest the very famously wanted man, we’ll just remind you that Malaysia’s been harboring a wanted man of its own for several years: Indian televangelist and alleged Islamic extremist Zakir Naik. We even gave him permanent residency!
Oh, and last month our very own Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad waded into the ever-contentious Jammu and Kashmir debate, telling United Nations delegates that the areas had “been invaded and occupied by India.”
So… not exactly on the best of terms right now.
The Interpol red notice on Jho Low still stands, with the financier alleged thief finding himself a popular man among international authorities. He is wanted on charges in Malaysia, the United States, and Singapore for his role in the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund financial scandal in which an estimated US$4.5 billion was allegedly siphoned off and unscrupulously used by Low and his cronies.
Just come home Jho – the jet lag must be killing you!
