New Delhi:
The arrest of Diamentare Mehul Choksi in Belgium is the result of an tireless pursuit by Indian agencies for seven years and facing several failures to three countries.
The owner of the Gitanjali Group is accused of cheating Rs 12,636 crore with his nephew Nirav Modi, his wife Ami Modi and his brother Nirshal Modi at the state -run Punjab National Bank. Sixty -five -year -old Choksi fled from India in 2018, shortly before a large scale fraud came to light. He flew to Antigua, where he took citizenship through the investment program.
In 2021, Choksi was arrested in the Republic of Dominican for illegal entry. A CBI team was taken to the Caribbean nation to secure their custody. Choksi lawyers told a Dominican court that he needed to return to Antigua for treatment and assured that he would later return to face the trial. After 51 days of jail, Choksi got relief from the British Queen’s Privy Council and the extradition could not proceed. He flew back to Antigua. Later, illegal entry allegations against him in the Republic of Dominican were removed.
The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate tracked him at this time. Last year, he came to know that he was in Belgium, and he immediately alerted the agencies, stating that agencies in the agencies said. All documents about the fraud case were also shared. The Belgian police arrested Choksi on 12 April and found that he was trying to flee Switzerland. Choksi’s wife Preeti is a Belgian citizen. According to reports, Choksi presented documents fabricated to get a residency card in Belgium. He also hid that he was a citizen of India and Antigua. Earlier, in February, Choksi’s lawyer told the Mumbai court that he could not return to India as he was in Belgium to treat blood cancer.
The businessman also said that he was ready to cooperate with Indian agencies and present it to the courts through video-conferencing, but the suggestion was rejected and the agencies continued to work towards his extradition. These efforts are now concluded in his arrest and Indian officials are now working to bring him back for testing. Choksi’s legal team has said that it will file for bail and oppose its extradition in India.
