Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has gone missing from the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, to which he fled in 2018. He has been accused in the PNB loan fraud and money-laundering case. According to the media, police have been searching for Mehul since Sunday. Police have also told his lawyer about this, but no response has been received.
Choksi, wanted by CBI and ED in connection with Rs 14500 crore PNB scam had fled abroad in January 2018. It was later revealed that he had taken Antigua-Barbuda citizenship only in 2017. Meanwhile, CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) are trying to extradite Choksi.
The main accused in this scam was Choksi's nephew Nirav Modi, who is in London's Wandsworth jail. His extradition has also been approved by the court and government there. But Nirav has challenged the extradition decision in the High Court of London. In this case, it may take 10 to 12 months for the High Court to pronounce a decision. The PNB scam came to light in February 2018 when the bank informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that it had detected fraudulent and unauthorised transactions worth Rs 11,380 crore at a branch in South Mumbai.
Meanwhile, Choksi's lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal, also said that his client was missing. He said, "His family members are worried and anxious and had called me to discuss. Antigua police is investigating. Family is in the dark and worried about his safety." According to local media, Choksi was last seen at a well-known restaurant in the southern part of the island nation.
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