Fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi missing, Search on by Antigua police

0

 

New Delhi : Fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi has gone missing, following which the Antigua police have started his search. Officials have confirmed this on Tuesday. Choksi’s lawyer Vijay Aggarwal has also confirmed this shortly after local reports from Antigua. Choksi has sought refuge in Antigua as a citizen. The lawyer said he left his home on Monday to go to dinner at a well-known restaurant in the southern part of the island. He did not return after this.

A report by antiguanewsroom.com said that the car of diamond trader Mehul Tokasi was found in Jolly Harbor late in the evening. Although he was not in it.

Choksi’s lawyer Aggarwal said, “Mehul Choksi is missing. His family members are worried. The Antigua police is investigating the matter. The family is in the dark and they are worried for his security.”

Mehul Choksi, a 61-year-old Indian businessman living in Antigua and Barbuda and owner of the Gitanjali Group, has been declared wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Mehul Choksi rigged about ₹ 7,080 crore in a ₹ 13,578 crore PNB fraud before fleeing to Antigua on January 4, 2018, a month before the mega-scam surfaced.

An arrest warrant has been issued against Choksi in the Punjab National Bank fraud case. He was allegedly involved in stock market manipulation in 2013. Choksi fled the country after committing fraud in public sector lender Punjab National Bank. He was later declared a fugitive. In a chargesheet filed last year, the ED claimed that Choksi defrauded not only Indian banks but also customers and lenders in Dubai and the United States. His assets of ₹ 2,500 crore have already been attached.

Earlier this year, Antigua and Barbuda began the process to revoke the fugitive diamond trader’s citizenship granted by the Caribbean nation’s citizenship under the Investment Program (CIP) in November 2017, but they challenged the government’s move in court. People familiar with the matter have given this information.

You might also like
Leave a comment