New Delhi, April 17: Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi has been arrested in Belgium based on an extradition request from India and the government is now working in coordination with Belgian authorities to expedite his return, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed on Thursday.
During a weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “Based on our extradition request, he was arrested. We are working closely with the Belgian side on his extradition.”
The Belgian Federal Public Service of Justice had earlier confirmed Choksi’s arrest on April 12. He is currently in detention pending further legal proceedings.
Choksi, 65, fled India on January 2, 2018, and has been a key accused in the ₹13,850 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case. He is wanted by both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). His nephew, Nirav Modi—also a prime accused in the same case—is currently fighting extradition proceedings in the United Kingdom.
Authorities allege that Choksi, in collusion with his associates and certain PNB officials, orchestrated a large-scale fraud between 2014 and 2017. The scheme involved the issuance of fraudulent Letters of Undertaking and Foreign Letters of Credit, resulting in a loss of ₹6,097.63 crore to the public sector bank.
Following news of his arrest, Choksi’s lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal, raised concerns over his client’s safety, stating that his “human rights would be greatly affected” if he were extradited to India.
Choksi, a former diamond magnate and promoter of the Gitanjali Group, had earlier acquired citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in an apparent attempt to evade Indian authorities. His arrest in Belgium now marks a significant development in India’s efforts to bring back economic offenders.
(With agency inputs)
