PNB scam: Mehul Choksi moves to Antigua, gets local passport

Mehul Choksi, who is accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank of $2 billion along with his nephew, diamond tycoon Nirav Modi, fled India before the accusations came to light, stated in his court application that he could not disclose his location in public because of the threat to his life.

Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who in a Mumbai court on Monday got submitted application for cancellation of an arrest warrant against him, citing fears for his life because of a growing number of mob lynchings in the country, is learnt to have moved to Antigua from the US. Choksi has taken the passport of the Caribbean country, government sources said.

In response to diffusion notice issued by Interpol, the Enforcement Directorate has been informed by Antiguan authorities that Choksi arrived there this month and had taken the passport of that country, they reportedly said.

Mehul Choksi, who is accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank of $2 billion along with his nephew, diamond tycoon Nirav Modi, fled India before the accusations came to light, stated in his court application that he could not disclose his location in public because of the threat to his life.

The recent trend of "mob lynching is growing", Choksi`s lawyer said in the application seen by Reuters, adding that he fears such a fate if he were ever to return to India.

The fugitive diamantaire had fled the country in the first week of January, nearly a fortnight before weeks before country's biggest banking fraud surfaced.

The CBI has booked Choksi, uncle of his alleged partner in crime Nirav Modi, in two cases related to the scam and filed charge sheet against him. A special court in Mumbai has issued a Non-Bailable Warrant against him.

The CBI had moved the Interpol for issuance of Red Corner Notice against the Gitanjali group promoter, but it is still under process. On this basis, the CBI request for Red Corner Notice was moved in June.

While RCN has been issued against Nirav Modi and his brother Nishal by the Interpol, the request for such a notice against Choksi is reportedly pending with the Lyon-based international police cooperation agency, the authorities told PTI.

The issuance of RCN would mean that the member countries of the Lyon-based international police cooperation agency can arrest and extradite him.

In its charge sheets filed on May 14, the CBI had alleged that Nirav Modi, through his companies, siphoned off funds to the tune of Rs 6,498.20 crore using fraudulent LoUs issued from PNB's Brady House branch in Mumbai.

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