The government also announced a multi-agency probe into Modi’s dealings and the I-T department swung into action, provisionally attaching 29 properties and 105 accounts linked to Modi and his family, even as he surfaced at a luxurious hotel suite in New York. Meanwhile, more media reports emerged of the possibility of Modi having Belgian papers, as first indicated by TOI on February 16.

“After suspension of his passport, he cannot move to a different location. Wherever he is, he will remain in the same country,” the MEA spokesperson said. Modi is accused of triggering a Rs 11,300 crore fraud on state-run Punjab National Bank.

Asked if the government knew of Modi’s whereabouts, the MEA spokesperson said, “The gentleman is not in touch with any of our officers and we don’t know his location.” However, TV channels traced him to a swish 36th-floor suite at JW Marriott’s Essex House (his boutique store is right around the corner at 734 Madison Avenue). Modi spent the day holed up in the suite, which overlooks New York’s famed Central Park.

Meanwhile, the government unleashed at least half-a-dozen agencies as part of a crackdown on Modi. The tax department attached 29 properties and over 100 bank accounts linked to Modi and his family. Separately, the Enforcement Directorateintensified its searches at 35 premises and recovered assets of another Rs 500 crore, taking the stated value of seizures so far to over Rs 5,600 crore.