After years of evading Indian authorities while residing abroad, Mehul Choksi’s recent arrest in Belgium marks the end of his long-standing attempt to avoid prosecution in the Punjab National Bank fraud case.
The fugitive businessman’s arrest marks a major development in the Rs 13,850 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case. The Belgian Federal Public Service of Justice confirmed the arrest and stated that India has formally requested his extradition.
“The Belgian federal public service of Justice can confirm that Mr. Mehul Choksi was arrested on Saturday 12th of April 2025. He is being detained in anticipation of further judicial proceedings. Access to his legal counsel has been assured,” the Belgian federal public service of Justice said.
However, it said that no additional details could be disclosed at this stage, in line with standard protocol for individual cases.
The Belgian Justice Ministry confirmed that Choksi was taken into custody on Saturday, April 12, 2025. They have confirmed that he is currently being detained ahead of further judicial proceedings, and assured that he has access to legal counsel.
After receiving an F Residency Card in Belgium in November 2023, the fugitive diamond jeweler was allegedly residing in Antwerp with his spouse, Priti Choksi.
In April, he was taken from the hospital where he has been receiving treatment. Prior to the bail hearing next week, a multi-agency team will travel to the nation, according to Indian government officials.
Choksi had previously made Antigua and Barbuda his home, and in 2017 he even obtained Antiguan citizenship. His defense team claimed he was abducted, and he was arrested for unlawful entrance into Dominica while with a rumored girlfriend. Eventually, he was sent back to Antigua by deportation.
Choksi said he was scared of being kidnapped and taken to Guyana, which has a strong Indian presence. “I am currently confined to the limits of my house in Antigua, my poor health doesn’t allow me to move anywhere else, and the traumatizing experience I suffered at the hands of my Indian captors led to irreversible degradation,” he had told a news agency four years ago.
Choksi, 65, fled India in January 2018 and is a key accused in the PNB fraud case. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) have alleged that he, along with his nephew Nirav Modi and others, orchestrated a large-scale fraud involving the misuse of Letters of Undertaking and Foreign Letters of Credit between 2014 and 2017. The scam is believed to have caused losses amounting to Rs 6,097.63 crore.
In response to the arrest and extradition request, Choksi’s lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal, expressed strong opposition. He argued that the extradition would significantly impact his client’s human rights and raised concerns about possible mistreatment and political pressure if Choksi were to be returned to India.
Aggarwal further stated that the extradition would be challenged on two primary grounds: that the case was politically motivated, and due to concerns regarding Choksi’s health and the conditions he would face in India.
He also maintained that Choksi had not been officially declared a fugitive and claimed that his client had remained in contact with Indian investigative authorities throughout the legal process.
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