Fugitive diamond dealer Mehul Choksi, wanted in related with Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan fraud case, has been arrested by the police in Belgium, resources in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) showed this morning. The 65-year-old was arrested on Saturday and is currently in Jail.
The police release open-ended arrest warrants issued against Choksi via a Mumbai court whilst setting him under arrest, Economic Times reported. These had been dated May 23, 2018, and June 15, 2021. He is expected to seek bail and a direct release, mentioning sick health and other reasons.
Mehul Choksi Arrest while extradition from London
Choksi and his nephew, Nirav Modi, who’s looking forward to extradition from London, are wanted by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for allegedly defrauding the bank of more than Rs 13,500 crore in 2018. The PNB – the country 2d biggest bank – had filed a legal criticism towards numerous entities, includes Choksi, Modi and the handling director of his firm, Gitanjali Gems.
They allegedly used letters of project (LoUs) and foreign letters of credit (FLCs) by bribing officers of the bank’s Brady House department in Mumbai. Choksi and Modi fled India in January 2018, weeks before the scam in the PNB surfaced.
Mehul in European Country last month
Last month, the Belgian foreign ministry showed to media that Mehul Choksi was in the European country. In a communication, they stated they were aware of his presence and “connected importance and interest to it”.
The ministry, however, stated they do not comment on individual cases. Even so, “the FPS Foreign Affairs keeps to carefully follow the traits in this critical case”. According to reviews, Mehul Choksi has been living in Antwerp together with his spouse, Preeti Choksi, a citizen of Belgium, after acquiring a ‘residency card’ in country.
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