Mehul Choksi arrested: In a major breakthrough, fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi has been arrested in Belgium, sources confirmed. The 65-year-old, who has been on the run in connection with the massive Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan fraud, was taken into custody on Saturday (April 12) following a request from India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Sources said that after the Interpol Red Notice against him for arrest was “deleted”, Indian agencies, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI, moved for his extradition from Belgium.
As per sources, Choksi had been living in Belgium’s Antwerp with his wife Preeti Choksi, who holds Belgian citizenship. Mehul reportedly also possessed an “F Residency Card” and had travelled from Antigua to Belgium under the pretext of seeking cancer treatment. He also hid his Indian and Antiguan citizenships, and was planning to flee to Switzerland when Belgian police intercepted him, sources added.
The arrest came after close coordination between Indian agencies, including the CBI and the ED, and their Belgian counterparts. Once Choksi was located, critical documents and an open arrest request were shared with Belgian authorities, they added.
